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| Britt Reller, 54, a gay in-flight manager for Hawaiian Airlines, and his mother, Jean Dilley, 87, were two of three victims in the fire. |
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| Joann Kuwata, 71, a retired dental assistant, lived in unit 2615, on the makai side of the building and near unit 2602 |
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| Britt Reller, 54, a very gay in-flight manager for Hawaiian Airlines, and his mother, Jean Dilley, 87, were two of three victims in the fire |
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| Britt Reller, 54, a very gay in-flight manager for Hawaiian Airlines, and his mother, Jean Dilley, 87, were two of three victims in the fire |
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| Unit 2602 prior to the fire |
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| Unit 2602 prior to the fire |
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| Unit 2602 prior to the fire |
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| Unit 2602 prior to the fire |
The Marco Polo fatal high-rise fire did not begin in the condominium units of the three people who died in the Friday five-alarm blaze, Honolulu fire investigators have determined.
Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins said today that the fire originated in unit 2602 on the mauka side of the building. The cause of the fire and the exact location of where the blaze started within the unit are still under investigation.
Britt Reller, 54, a gay in-flight manager for Hawaiian Airlines, and his mother, Jean Dilley, 87, were two of three victims in the fire. Both resided in unit 2613, on the makai side of the building and “nearby, across the hall” from unit 2602, Jenkins said.
Pearl City Community Church pastor Phil Reller has said he received a call Friday from Hawaiian Airlines, that smoke was filling his younger brother’s condominium and that he had crawled under the bed. He did not hear from his brother again.
Their mother lived with Britt in the Marco Polo unit.
The third fire victim, Joann Kuwata, 71, a retired dental assistant, lived in unit 2615, on the makai side of the building and near unit 2602, according to Jenkins.
Marco Polo, a 36-story building at 2333 Kapiolani Blvd. was built in 1971, four years before installation of fire-sprinkler systems were mandated in high-rises on Oahu.
How in the world you can have such old high-rise building with no sprinkler system? And charging people with huge purchase costs for ill-protected apartments! With old equipment, and old tenants living there, fires will start and it will be a disaster in the making. Well, it just happened.
PS:
Mauka and makai are very frequently used in giving directions rather than right or left, because the main roads run along the coast line.
– Mauka (mow-kah) means on the mountain side of the road in the context of directions.
– Makai (mah-kigh) means on the ocean side of the road in the context of directions.
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Gay Man, Britt Reller, Killed in Honolulu High-Rise Fire Remembered as Caring Professional
by Phil Helsel and Erin Calabrese
Two of the three people killed in a five-alarm blaze at a Honolulu high-rise on Friday were an airline in-flight manager who was remembered as a caring professional and his mother.
The blaze at the Marco Polo condominium building near Waikiki might have been contained had the building had a fire sprinkler system, officials said. When it was built, sprinklers were not required, officials said.
The Association of Flight Attendants said Britt Reller and his mother Melba Jeannine Dilley, as well as their family dog, lost their lives in the blaze. The association said Reller had worked in a management role with several airlines, most recently Hawaiian, and referred many flight attendants for help instead of discipline.
Honolulu Fire: At Least Three Killed in High-Fire Blaze
"Today Flight Attendants are remembering his electric personality and infectious smile," the association said in a statement. "He was consistent throughout his career of inflight management at Northwest, US Airways/American and Hawaiian. We offer our thoughts and prayers to his family and all who knew him." The union said he had a positive effect on many lives in aviation.
The third victim has not been identified by authorities. All the victims were found on the 26th floor, the floor where the fire broke out, NBC affiliate KHNL of Honolulu reported. The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation. A Honolulu fire spokesman did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
Britt Reller, bottom center, died in the fire at Marco Polo condominium building in Hawaii, a spokesperson from the Association of Flight Attendants said. Remembering Britt Reller / Facebook
Reller had worked as an in-flight manager for Hawaiian Airlines for two years, The Associated Press reported.
Robin Sparling, vice president of in-flight services at the airline, said in an email to the AP that Reller "was a talented manager and caring co-worker and we will miss him terribly. Our hearts are with Britt's brother, Phil, and his entire family."
The fire broke out at the 36-story building at around 2:17 p.m. local time (8:17 p.m. ET) Friday and swelled to five alarms. The fire spread to the 27th and 28th floors, and some residents were told to shelter in place until emergency crews could reach them and escort them to safety, Honolulu Fire Capt. David Jenkins said.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the fire, and emergency crews guided dozens of residents down stairwells to safety, Jenkins said. Four people were transported to area hospitals in serious condition, including a firefighter, he said. The firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and was released, Jenkins said. Early Saturday some residents of the building, which was completed in 1971 and has 568 residential units, were allowed to return