At one point, huge plumes of black smoke and violent orange flames shot from the roof.

The fire caused extensive damage to a kitchen area and the main complex that houses several restaurants. The riverboat casino itself was not affected, and fire officials were optimistic they could stop the fire from spreading there.

It was a different story for other areas at the site, which were vulnerable because of the way they were constructed. The fire spread horizontally. Joliet Fire Chief Joe Formhals was not confident that any land-based structures would be saved. Because of collapsing roofs, he pulled his firefighters from inside the buildings.

"Right now, we are doing a defensive attack," Formhals told reporters.

As they fought the blaze, fire crews ran out of water in nearby hydrants and had to haul water in from elsewhere, officials said. Between 6,000 and 8,000 of gallons of water were being pumped to the area per minute, officials said at an afternoon news conference.