Artificial palm trees helped fuel the fire which ripped through a Las Vegas hotel pool terrace at the weekend, fire chiefs said.
The blaze began in The Cosmopolitan’s Bamboo Pool and quickly spread through fake palm trees which were placed close together, Clark County Assistant Fire Chief Sandra Baker said.
Two people were treated for the effects of smoke inhalation and hundreds of guests were forced to evacuate.
"What made it move so fast were all the fake palm trees," fire chief Greg Cassell told CNN.
He said the blaze ‘took off like a rocket’ due to plastic foam used to make the palm trees.
At its height, thick plumes of black smoke enveloped the Las Vegas skyline as about 100 firefighters rushed to the scene, taking about 30 minutes to bring it under control.
Hotel management re-opened the pool deck Sunday and the main hotel building suffered only minor fire or smoke damage, investigators said.
A preliminary check categorised it as a ‘landscaping fire’ but Cassell said a possible electrical malfunction was also being considered.
