Two Las Vegas Restaurants Closed After 200 Fall Sick

Two popular eateries located on Paradise in Las Vegas ihave been closed after an estimated 200 people reported falling sick, linked to a Salmonella outbreak.

Southern Nevada Health District health officials reported 196 people and four employees contracted food poisoning at Firefly, leading officials to cited the restaurant with 44 health demerits and close it down, according to a report in Counsel & Heal.

Dragonfly, which stands side-by-side with Firefly and shares the same kitchen area, was shut down April 26 after receiving 47 demerits, which included the use of incorrect cooling practices, inappropriately placing raw foods onto cooked foods  and storing and handling food without proper safety and cleanliness techniques.

However, even though there were clear signs of food mishandling, officials still have not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the Salmonella outbreak.

Based on health tests, officials determined 16 individuals affected in the Las Vegas outbreak suffered from a variant of Salmonella Typhimurium --- which was responsible for infecting 401 people in a 2007 outbreak.

The 200 people suspected of being afflicted with the Salmonella variant this time around hail from 20 different states that include Arizona, California, New York and Pennsylvania and two other countries, the United Kingdom and Canada.

In a written statement to the community, Firefly owner John Simmons said there were no plans to reopen the closed location, but would instead move the restaurant to a new building on the same street, according to a report by Food Safety News.

"Firefly has been a proud member of Southern Nevada for 10 years and we are optimistic that the combination of moving to this new location, that has a kitchen as large as the entire original Firefly restaurant, and the recommended retraining on operations and procedures, will help us regain the confidence of the community," Simmons said.

Health investigators could not pinpoint a specific food item as the source, though the afflicted patrons were more likely to eat certain menu items when compared to patrons who didn't fall ill.

The investigation has examined Firefly's unpasteurized egg-based aioli sauce, which a number of ill patrons reported eating, though further analysis showed it was not the cause of the outbreak.

Specific ingredients such as parsley and grated hard cheese also underwent scrutiny, but as well were shown to be a likely source of the illness.