Las Vegas is preparing for the Tropicana implosion

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Tropicana implosion is just days away, taking place at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

After nearly seven decades as a star on the Las Vegas Strip, final preparations are being made to send this icon into history.

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I spoke to the team behind the implosion to find out how they will bring down the two Tropicana hotel towers.

Debby Lamm has a special connection to the Tropicana and said she isn't ready to let it disappear just yet.

I asked her what will be going through her mind when she sees it for the last time and then after it implodes.

“When I see everything completely gone, it will be sad, very sad,” Lamm said.

Lamm's first trip to Las Vegas was with her husband in 1981.

“It was our very first place in Vegas and actually our very first vacation,” Lamm said.

Since that day, they have stayed in the former “Tiffany of the Strip” ten more times and created lifelong memories there.

“Well, my husband died a few years ago, so all that was left were the memories of him and me being there together,” Lamm said.

She recalled these memories as the end of the Tropicana drew near.

“There aren’t many of the really older iconic structures left, so I know it’s special in the community. It is truly an honor to be a part of this,” said Mark Loizeaux, President and Owner of Controlled Demolition Inc.

CDI and GGG Demolition are the two companies responsible for the implosion. Loizeaux says a lot of preparation went into the moment of destruction.

“With a concrete structure like the Club Tower, we’re dealing with sticks of dynamite like the ones you see in the cartoons,” Loizeaux said. “Conversely, the steel structure, the Paradise Tower, is structural steel. We have phalanges. Where they are up to seven centimeters thick, we use what is called a linear die charge to cut through this steel.”

Loizeaux tells me that they are still making final preparations for the demo, but explosives have already been placed in the hotel towers and protected by a black material that can be seen on the outside of the buildings.

Shortly after the fireworks, he says, the button would be pressed, the explosions would go off, and both buildings would collapse almost simultaneously.

“And then you'll start hearing: bang, bang, bang, boom, boom, boom, this structure is going to come, this structure is going to start falling down, this one is going to come behind it,” Loizeaux said.

Lamm said that while she is sad to see the Tropicana fade into Las Vegas history, she hopes everyone will remember its glory.

“I hope that the people who were able to stay there have good memories like I did,” said Lamm.

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