The Three Personality Types Of Property Owners

You never forget your first. Be it your first love, first job, or first multimillion-dollar fire.

After 30 years in the restoration industry as both an independent vendor and a property damage consultant, I still remember my first fire. It was the infamous MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino fire in 1980, which resulted in 87 deaths, a $167 million settlement, and seven years of litigation.

I was working at BMS CAT’s Los Angeles branch when the call came from Kemper Insurance, which wanted me to assist them in test cleaning the hotel and scoping the damage. The next day, I was on a plane to Las Vegas to join other property damage consultants and claims professionals.

Together, we embarked on a project that involved 60 specialists and lasted three months before it was suddenly terminated at the request of MGM’s owner Kirk Kerkorian and his executive team.

We cleared out of the hotel just as quickly as we had arrived, but less than three months after the fire at MGM began, I found myself right in the middle of another fire, this time at the Las Vegas Hilton, which itself caused eight deaths and significant damage.