Fines overturned in Vegas casino blaze

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A Nevada safety board has cleared a construction company of wrongdoing in a spectacular fire at the Monte Carlo casino in Las Vegas.

The review board of the Nevada Safety and Health Administration overturned the findings of its staff and the fire department in Las Vegas that Union Erectors had violated nine safety regulations.

The reported lapses were connected to a rooftop blaze last January that caused an estimated $80 million in damage to the facade of the casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

But, the Las Vegas Sun said Tuesday, United Erectors employees contradicted the investigators and undermined the allegations enough to convince the review board to throw out all but one of the citations and reduce the company's fine from $18,000 to $3,500.

"We don't know what did (cause the fire), but that's somebody else's burden of proof," said Bruce Willoughby, an attorney who represented United Erectors at Monday's hearing.