Thousands evacuated from Paris Las Vegas casino-hotel due to power outage

Paris Las Vegas mega-resort in Las Vegas. (Reuters)

Thousands of guests and employees were evacuated Thursday from the Paris Las Vegas casino-hotel on Nevada's famous Las Vegas Strip due to a power outage.

Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling told the Associated Press the entire complex lost power at around 9:45 a.m. local time when a contractor working in the basement cut into the main power line.

No injuries were reported, but Welling said that fire crews had to rescue 11 people who were trapped in five different elevators.

Welling said that 3,000 people who remained in the building were told to leave Thursday afternoon because the battery power was running low on the building's fire alarm system.

Jennifer Forkish, of Caesars Entertainment, told Fox 5 the property was working with NV energy to restore power.

"Out of an abundance of caution we are closing our casino, restaurant and hotel operations," Forkish told the television station.

Jay Sarno of Santa Fe Springs, California told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he won more than $1,000 on a Keno machine just before the power went out.  Sarno told the newspaper the casino gave him a voucher to claim his money after power is restored.

He added that the group he was with had to return to their rooms to collect their belongings before having the leave the hotel.

“We walked up 18 flights in the dark,” he said.

Sarno added that he hoped he could claim his winnings before heading to the airport to catch a 5 p.m. flight.

Most of the guests were being sent to neighboring hotels, including Bally's and Planet Hollywood, officials said.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.