A fire and power failure at the Rio throw a wrench into NYE party plans in Vegas

A small electrical fire is having a big impact on the availability of hotel rooms in Las Vegas just two days before Sin City’s giant New Year’s Eve party.

Nearly 900 rooms at the Rio resort were evacuated Thursday morning after a downward spiral of events following the Wednesday afternoon fire.

The blaze caused power to briefly fail in the hotel’s Masquerade Tower, but a generator quickly switched on. That backup system failed around 7 a.m. Thursday after water from the sprinklers, which had activated Wednesday afternoon, leaked into the generator.

With the tower in darkness, the evacuation of rooms began. It was continuing Thursday afternoon, with guests being relocated to nearby hotels also operated by Caesars Entertainment.

“We will not be restoring power until tomorrow [Friday] morning at the earliest,� said Rich Broome, a Caesars spokesman.

Broome said the Rio was “close to full� when evacuations began. An estimated 320,000 visitors are expected for Saturday evening’s celebrations, which include midnight fireworks along the Strip.

While the other Caesars hotels can handle displaced guests Thursday evening, it could be a different story if power isn’t restored Friday. Occupancy rates will continue to climb as the holiday weekend arrives.

Guests with reservations for Thursday night should call a special hotline — (866) 635-6955 — for information about where they will be staying.

Broome said he was “optimistic� that electricity “will be up� in time for the New Year’s Eve festivities. The rooftop Voodoo Lounge will provide terrific fireworks viewing if it has reopened.