Fire Breaks Out on the Roof of Potawatomi Casino Hotel in Milwaukee

A fire broke out in an HVAC unit linked to the Potawatomi Casino Hotel in Milwaukee on Monday, April 6, sending a large plume of smoke into the air. Despite the incident, the casino reopened to visitors later that day after the fire department conducted a thorough inspection.

Witnesses Describe the Incident

Video and photos captured by multiple crews showed a massive black plume of smoke rising into the air. Lindsay and Shawn Baumhardt were visiting the casino and were inside when the fire broke out. Shawn said the first thing they noticed was the smell.

He described it as similar to a burning cord that someone might notice at home. At first, the odor was faint, but within about five minutes, security guards began instructing people to evacuate and urging them to leave.

They said smoke soon started to fill the area near the main entrance. Lindsay explained that the smoke quickly became more visible inside, making the space appear hazy and fog-like. The couple had just cashed out when they were ordered to evacuate.

The fire was also spread, metaphorically, to social media, as many locals noticed the column of smoke and took to X (formerly Twitter) to post about it. One person wrote: “Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is currently on fire! Multiple fire trucks and police arriving right now. Check on your people. Stay safe Milwaukee.” Another explained that a lot of smoke was billowing out of the building when they drove by it.

How Did the Fire Happen?

The fire began shortly before noon on Monday, when it was detected in the HVAC system on the casino’s roof. All guests and staff were quickly evacuated. By around 12:15 pm, most of the smoke had cleared. At least this time there was a real threat, unlike the false bomb threat that a caller sent to the Park West Bicycle Casino and Hotel in Bell Gardens a couple of months ago.

In a Facebook post, the Potawatomi Casino Hotel said the fire was believed to have been caused by a boiler system failure on the property. The casino stated that the failure had led to a fire and prompted the evacuation of the entire casino. It added that the hotel operates on a separate system and was not being evacuated at that time.

Fortunately, the Milwaukee fire department quickly brought things under control. No injuries were reported. Officials with Potawatomi Casino Hotel said the fire damage was contained to the HVAC system. The casino has a fully operational backup HVAC system, and the hotel, which uses a separate system, was not affected by the fire.