On July 15, 1977, shortly after 4:00 a.m., a water pipe burst in the tower's subbasement, two floors below ground level. Two feet of water flooded the basement room and shorted out the main power panel, thereby cutting out electricity for the resort shortly before 5:00 a.m. An auxiliary power generator provided lighting for the resort. However, telephones, air conditioning, and four of the tower's five elevators were left non-functional because of the main power failure. Carbon monoxide, freon and methane, all originating from the auxiliary generator, infiltrated the tower through ventilation ducts, forcing an evacuation of the building. Between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., crews from the Southwest Gas Corporation inspected the building with firemen and found no further traces of gas, allowing guests and employees to re-enter the building.