Meth lab meltdown sparked Tropicana Atlantic City fire
Police discovered the cause of a fire this week which forced a partial evacuation at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City that injured two people.
It came from a makeshift meth lab in a room on the 44th floor.
The would-be Walter White was named as Michael Pillar, 49, of Whiting, New Jersey who is facing charges of maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility and possession of methamphetamine.
The fire was contained to Pillar’s room although it forced the evacuation of guests from four floors.
Pillar and a hotel employee trying to extinguish the blaze suffered injuries.
The fire started in the bathroom and quickly spread, igniting the bed, fire chief Scott Evans said, adding that the sprinkler system had reduced the fire’s impact.
"The safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority at Tropicana Atlantic City. Only a few rooms were affected by the fire. Hotel rooms have been professionally inspected, and cleared to go back online," general manager Steve Callender told the AP.
Improvised meth labs set up in hotels are nothing new, although they tend to occur in cheap motels rather than a major casino resort.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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