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Sunday, November 19, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
MGM GRAND FIRE: The Pilot
Men saved hundreds
Helicopter pilot Ray Poss is still saving lives.
These days, seemingly an eternity after his heroic display at the MGM Grand hotel fire, Poss spends his days plucking hunters and whalers off the arctic tundra in Barrow, Alaska, population 4,541, and the northernmost point in the United States.
"There is absolutely nothing up here, it's the arctic desert and we are surrounded by ice," Poss said. "No trees, nothing. It's as flat as a pool table."
Barrow is certainly a long way from Las Vegas, where two decades ago he and other helicopter pilots pulled off the most prolific rescue of their lives.
On Nov. 21, 1980, Poss was co-owner of Silver State Helicopters, a charter business that flew choppers out of the North Las Vegas Airport. He also served as a backup pilot for Las Vegas police Search and Rescue on plane crashes and searches.
The day of the fire, he was supposed to fly a Japanese film crew to the Grand Canyon on his Bell helicopter. That morning, he walked out of his house near Ann Road and Rainbow Boulevard, looked toward downtown Las Vegas and saw something that would change him forever.
"There was a huge plume of smoke in the sky, and I said, 'Oh my God.' I dropped my cup and jumped in my vehicle and drove to the airport."
He, Las Vegas police pilot Harry Christopher and Valley hospital Flight for Life pilot Paul Kinsey then took off in their helicopters and headed for the MGM Grand.
They arrived and saw hundreds of people on the roof, desperate for help.
"It was a mess of people solid on the south wing," Poss said.
The three pilots got in a line, and "like a daisy chain, we kept going around and around," Poss said. "We were flying through thick, black smoke."
"Every time we flew through it, you were worried you wouldn't come out on the other side," he said. "You had to take big, deep breaths before you flew through it because it was toxic."
Poss witnessed a chaotic scene on the rooftop -- people had abandoned civility in favor of animal instinct.
"They put Harry's partner out on the roof because they were becoming very disorderly," Poss said. "He had to threaten them with a sidearm to keep order, and at that point a couple of men stepped forward and said, 'We will help you to stop the panic.' "
One at a time, the pilots landed on the roof and filled their helicopters with people, then flew through the blinding smoke, descended and unloaded in the hotel's southeast parking lot. They repeated the process dozens of times, saving about 20 people each trip.
The worst moments for Poss came when he had to hover, look down at the MGM and see all the people looking up at his helicopter from balconies and broken windows.
"Seeing all these people screaming, stretching out their arms and pleading for help, there was nothing I could do," Poss said. "I saw one lady jump."
Poss guesses the three pilots saved hundreds of people -- he has no idea how many -- in a three-hour period.
The three received little fanfare. But in one visit to a family member's home in Roswell, N.M., about 10 years ago, Poss received all the recognition a hero would ever need.
During that visit, Poss' aunt told him "there is someone in town who wants to meet you."
A woman Poss didn't know then walked into the home.
"You are one of the helicopter pilots on the MGM Grand fire?" the woman asked Poss.
Poss nodded his head.
"I wanted to shake your hand because my husband and I are two people that you took off the roof," the woman said. "I wanted to thank you."
"She had no idea what that meant to me," he said.
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