Pair Accused of Arson at 3 Las Vegas Strip Casinos

Two people face arson charges for allegedly setting fires at three Las Vegas Strip resorts last week, according to documents uncovered by KLAS-TV. Amber Crow, 40, and Daniel Rodriguez, 21, were arrested on Saturday morning and remain in custody, according to the report.

Smoke fills the air as a firefighting vehicle leaves the scene of a fire at Horseshoe Las Vegas on Friday night. (Image: KTNV-TV)

The couple — who also face burglary charges — are accused of starting the two-alarm fire that sent 11 engines, three trucks, one heavy rescue, five rescues, four chief officers, and two investigators screaming to the Indigo Tower at Horseshoe Las Vegas at 8:50 p.m. Friday, April 28. Police say security footage shows a man and woman entering the casino matching their descriptions.

When firefighters arrived, according to a press release from the Clark County Fire Department, they found a small fire behind a vending machine on the 19th floor, apparently set with a lit diaper. They credited the sprinklers the fire activated with keeping it contained. Some victims sought medical attention at the scene, but none requested transportation to a hospital.

Earlier that day, at 7 a.m., police said, the same couple set two fires inside the Flamingo – one in the lobby, the other in front of an upper-floor hotel room. It was unclear how the couple entered areas restricted to hotel guests.

The couple allegedly started their arson spree with a fire on Wednesday near a bus stop at Caesars Palace, police said.

There were no reports of firefighter injuries at any fire.

Liar, Liar…

Police arrested Crow and Rodriguez at the Caesars Palace valet at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, they said. Each blamed the other for setting the fires.

Daniel indicated Amber usually set fires after they argued, but she did not have any grievances or expouse [sic] any extremist ideologies,” KLAS-TV quoted the arrest report.

The fire at the Horseshoe was not only the biggest; it also caused the most anxiety. The Indigo Tower was the site of the deadliest fire in Nevada history when it was part of the original MGM Grand Hotel. Eighty-five people were killed there on November 12, 1980, after an electrical fire started in a restaurant on the casino’s ground floor and spread to what was then its only tower.

The Indigo Tower became part of Bally’s in 1986 and Horseshoe in 2022.

Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas.

Corey spent six years covering the Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote the most popular humor column in the city’s history. (For “Fear and Loafing,” he tried out 176 Vegas jobs, including poker player, blackjack dealer and Follie Bergere dancer.)

Corey has won more than 100 local, state and national awards for his journalism, which has also appeared in Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and the New York Post.

Corey is a New York native whose hobbies include playing guitar, trying to be a better husband, and arguing with strangers on Facebook.

Contact Corey at corey@casino.org.

Comments icon

Conversation (0)

+ Add a comment

Be the first to comment on this article.

Write a comment

Your email address will not be published.