Las Vegas Hotel Fire: Blaze Erupts At Swimming Pool Of Cosmopolitan Hotel Pool Deck

A fire at the swimming pool of a Las Vegas hotel sent large plumes of black smoke high above the Sin City strip on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire in about 30 minutes after the blaze broke out on the 14th floor pool deck of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas hotel, according to Clark County Fire Chief Greg Cassell.

One person was admitted to a hospital with smoke inhalation and another individual received treatment for the same at the scene. However, there were no reports of anyone suffering burns from the fire, said Clark County fire spokeswoman Sandra Baker.

A main portion of Las Vegas Boulevard had to be closed down for approximately 45 minutes due to the inferno, causing panic among hotel guests, said witnesses. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. However, a witness said hotel employees believe the fire was started by a cigarette tossed from one of the high-rise hotel's top floors, or possible discarded into a bush on the pool deck, according to The Las Vegas Sun.

The fast-spreading fire consumed the tent-like cabanas on the open-air pool deck and quickly engulfed the highly flammable artificial trees surrounding the pool, prompting the evacuation of the hotel guests, said Cassell, according to CNN.

Julio Loredo, was in his room on the 33rd floor of the neighboring Vdara hotel when his room started to grow darker. "We looked out the window, and there was ash hitting our window," Loredo said. He then looked out a hallway window to find guests fleeing the Cosmopolitan pool deck. "People were running. We could see small explosions," he said, according to the Associated Press. "It was in less than a minute that it was completely engulfed."