But it wouldn’t have saved (the casino).”Ĭrews rapidly depleted one million gallons of water that had been stored in tanks on the property, and used more than 500,000 gallons pumped in by a six-inch line from Boulder City a few hours into the fire, La-Sky told the Sun. If we had more water, quicker, we possibly could have controlled the fire earlier. “The heat and intensity of the fuel load is incredible. “It’s miraculous no one was injured, especially not any firefighters,” Steve La-Sky, Clark County Fire Department spokesman, told the Las Vegas Sun the day of the fire. It was later determined the fire had been accidentally started during roofing work. More than 100 firefighters from Boulder City, Henderson, Clark County, National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management battled the blaze, which caused more than $30 million in damage.

I believe it was closed for 18 months to rebuild and then became the Hacienda. “I remember watching it on the news and couldn’t believe it. “The night the Gold Strike burned down was very sad,” said Penuelas, who started there in 1983. In the early morning hours, a fire spread through the casino, destroying the entire building. This would bring in many customers, who would line up hours before to pick up a number to get into the buffet.”īut all that came to a screeching halt on June 16, 1998. We had a $1.49 buffet, 99 cents (senior nights), and a Friday night all-you-can-eat crab/seafood buffet. Our customers were the best, and we still had many of the same regulars 37 years later. “Back then, everyone was like family, customers included,” she said. (Las Vegas Review-Journal archive photo)įor Terri Penuelas, the former Gold Strike Inn & Casino was more than just a place where she worked for nearly four decades. An inside view from the hotel in the days following the fire.

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