Potawatomi Casino Hotel Reopens After Rooftop Fire Evacuation
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Potawatomi Casino Hotel reopened Monday evening after a fire in its rooftop HVAC system forced an evacuation earlier in the day.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:The incident briefly disrupted casino operations, but officials said the building was cleared for guests and staff after fire authorities confirmed it was safe.
A spokesperson for Potawatomi said the decision to reopen followed confirmation from Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski that the property could safely resume operations. Images from the scene earlier in the day showed a large plume of black smoke rising from the casino during the fire at Potawatomi Casino.
Officials said the fire damage was contained to the rooftop HVAC system. The property’s backup HVAC system remained operational, while the hotel portion of the complex was not affected because it runs on a separate system.
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Guests Described Smoke Inside the Building
Visitors Lindsay and Shawn Baumhardt said they were inside the casino when the situation began to unfold. Shawn said the first sign was the smell of something burning, which he compared to an electrical cord catching fire at home.
He said the odor was faint at first, but became more noticeable within minutes as security staff began telling people to leave. Lindsay said smoke then became visible near the main entrance and started to build inside the property, making conditions look foggy as guests were being moved out.
The couple said they had just cashed out when the evacuation order came. Their account adds to the picture of a fast-moving incident that shifted quickly from an unusual smell to a full exit from the gaming floor.
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Fire Damage Was Limited to the Rooftop System
Potawatomi officials said the fire did not spread beyond the HVAC equipment. That appears to have helped the property reopen the same evening, limiting the longer operational impact that a larger systems failure might have caused.
The hotel’s separate ventilation infrastructure also reduced the risk of wider disruption across the full complex. For casino operators, that kind of system separation can matter in incidents where smoke, heat, or mechanical failure threaten one part of a property but not another.
What happens next will likely center on the cause of the rooftop fire and whether additional inspections or repairs are needed. For now, Potawatomi has resumed operations after a fire that forced a same-day evacuation but stopped short of causing a prolonged shutdown.
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