Inside the Tropicana implosion site in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Tropicana opened 67 years ago. It will take about 22 seconds to destroy in Wednesday morning's implosion.

FOX5 recently toured the implosion site and learned that the Paradise Tower, which is closest to Las Vegas Boulevard, and the Club Tower will be destroyed in different ways.

The Club Tower is framed with concrete. Dynamite is used to bring it down. In certain areas, pillars are blown up with dynamite to weaken them. The pillars can then no longer support the weight of the building and it collapses.

The Paradise Tower is a steel frame structure, so no dynamite is used. Instead, a charge blasts copper through the steel to weaken it.

“To use an overused analogy, if you have a soft piece of butter and you stick a knife into it, the butter doesn't melt, it doesn't evaporate, it just gets pushed to the side. That’s what the copper does,” said Controlled Demolition Inc. owner Mark Loizeaux, who will carry out the implosion.

Additionally, in the Club Tower, the pillars where the dynamite lands are wrapped with metal fencing to prevent large chunks of concrete from shooting out.

This is where the black, curtain-like material that wraps the columns comes into play. These enclosures have been placed on specific floors where the blasting will take place to prevent smaller debris from flying away from the building.

The same applies to the Paradise Tower. Work to attach the dynamite and copper charges to both buildings began last week and was expected to be completed by Sunday.

There were round-the-clock patrols to prevent anyone from setting off the explosives.

FOX5 also learned from crews that 95 percent of these buildings are recycled.

Chunks of concrete are crushed on site and used as a base for the road surface. The steel is recycled and used for virtually everything made of steel.

First, the Paradise Tower implosion begins. It will be slightly off Las Vegas Boulevard.

About four seconds later, the Club Tower falls slightly towards the Paradise Tower.

In about 22 seconds, more than six decades of history will have passed.

The new A's baseball stadium is to be built on the site, with completion scheduled for 2028.

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