In 1980, an electrical fire at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas killed
87 people and injured 700 others. The fire quickly spread to the
wallpaper, plastic mirrors and other flammable materials on all
26 stories in the building. Most of the deaths were attributed
to toxic smoke and fumes. An automatic sprinkler system in the
casino area of the building could have kept the electric fire
from spreading and becoming a tragedy. Look for high-rise
apartment buildings that have sprinkler systems. For other
homes, consider installing sprinklers, which can extinguish a
fire before the fire department has time to reach the home. The
NFPA reports that sprinklers can reduce the risk of death in a
home fire by 80 percent, and reduce property loss by 71 percent
per fire. 3. Install and Maintain Smoke Alarms A department
store fire in Belgium in 1967 killed 322 people. The fire
occurred on the opening day of an American fashion exhibit, and
was widely attributed to deliberate anti-American arson.
However, evidence suggests that i