LAS VEGAS " Two window washers were rescued with minor injuries Thursday after a cable snapped during high winds, slamming their platform into the curved glass face of a Las Vegas Strip casino, authorities said.
Windows shattered as the platform swung against the Encore Las Vegas resort, and broken glass showered a swimming pool area before Clark County firefighters used an ax to break through a 15th floor window and pull the two men to safety, fire spokesman Scott Allison said.
"It was raining glass," Allison said, describing how windows broke as the platform hit the 48-story tower facing the Strip when firefighters arrived just before 9 a.m.
About 15 windows were broken, but no injuries were reported inside or outside the casino, Wynn Resorts spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne said. She said some guests were moved to other rooms.
One window washer was taken to a hospital for treatment of what Allison described as minor injuries, and the other was treated at the scene for cuts and bruises.
The workers were not immediately identified. Dunne said they were employees of a window maintenance subcontracting company.
Both men were wearing safety harnesses when their platform cable broke, Allison said.
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas reported winds of 26 mph at the time at nearby McCarran International Airport, with gusts to 44 mph.
Authorities in Las Vegas issued a dust advisory and a fire weather watch Thursday, amid forecasts of a fast-moving storm sweeping through the region with strong north winds and low humidity.
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