At least three people died Friday in a fire in a high-rise apartment building in Honolulu and authorities fear some residents may be trapped in surrounding units, fire officials said.
Kirk Caldwell, the Honolulu mayor, said the building--which was built in 1971-- did not have a sprinkler system.
More than 100 firefighters responded to the multiple-alarm fire at the Marco Polo apartments that started on the 26th floor where all the bodies were found.
The fire spread to at least the 27th floor and several units, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins.
Jenkins says the number of fatalities could change. He says at least 12 people have needed medical help.
Four of the injured, including a firefighter, were hospitalized in serious condition, officials said.
Troy Yasuda, who lives in a building across the street, was giving water to people who evacuated. "They were choking from the smoke," he said, adding that people told him they evacuated through dark stairwells.
Police were yelling through megaphones for people still inside to come down, Yasuda said. He watched as people were carried out.
"It's been an orderly evacuation," said security guard Leonard Rosa, who was answering phones from the front lobby of the 31-story building near Waikiki. Police and firefighters were going door-to-door, he said.
Firefighters were checking on reports that there were people trapped in their units, Jenkins said.
“Paramedics are expediting emergency treatment with a triage location inside the building,” Shayne Enright told The Honolulu Star Advertiser. The paper described the scene: “Flames were lapping out from the building and glass from the windows and window frames rained down on the ground. Heavy black smoke was visible from miles away.”
Fourth-floor resident Aaron Dengler and his wife were helping their elderly neighbor get to an aid station the American Red Cross set up at a nearby park. "It doesn't help to just stand and watch," he said.
About two hours after the fire started it looked like flames were getting bigger and it looked like the blaze was reaching the 28th floor, Dengler said. "People are getting kind of nervous now," he said. "It's worrisome."
One resident who declined to give his name said he made it to safety after climbing the stairs from the 29th floor. The man said there was so much smoke, he could hardly see.
The 36-story building just outside the tourist mecca of Waikiki has 568 apartment units.
===========================
Friday, July 14, 2017 11:49PM
HONOLULU -- More than 60 firefighters battled a multiple-alarm fire in a Honolulu high-rise apartment building Friday.
The blaze at the Marco Polo apartments started on the 26th floor and spread to at least the 27th floor and several units, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins.
Paramedics treated several injured people, he said.
Troy Yasuda, who lives in a building across the street, was giving water to people who evacuated. "They were choking from the smoke," he said, adding that people told him they evacuated through dark stairwells.
Police were yelling through megaphones for people still inside to come down, Yasuda said. He watched as people were carried out.
"It's been an orderly evacuation," said security guard Leonard Rosa, who was answering phones from the front lobby of the 31-story building near Waikiki. Police and firefighters were going door-to-door, he said.
Firefighters were checking on reports that there were people trapped in their units, Jenkins said.
Fourth-floor resident Aaron Dengler and his wife were helping their elderly neighbor get to an aid station the American Red Cross set up at a nearby park. "It doesn't help to just stand and watch," he said.
About two hours after the fire started it looked like flames were getting bigger and it looked like the blaze was reaching the 28th floor, Dengler said. "People are getting kind of nervous now," he said. "It's worrisome."
One resident who declined to give his name said he made it to safety after climbing the stairs from the 29th floor. The man said there was so much smoke, he could hardly see.
==================
At least three people were killed in a massive fire at a Honolulu high-rise Friday, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said.
The blaze began around 2:15 p.m. Hawaiian time (8:15 p.m. ET) on the 26th floor of the Marco Polo Apartments, a 538-unit building that houses condominiums and apartments on Kapiolani Boulevard, Caldwell said.
The victims were found on the same floor, officials said.
About 100 firefighters worked to put down the flames and evacuate the residents.
"It's very difficult, even with the equipment that we have on -- to make our way to the floor of the fire," Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves said.
It's unclear what may have started the fire but authorities said the apartment where the fire originated did not have sprinklers.
"Without a doubt, if there was sprinklers in this apartment the fire would be contained to the unit of origin," Neves said.
Mayor Caldwell agreed that a sprinkler system could have contained the fire, calling the incident a "good example of what it means when you don't have fire sprinklers."
The blaze leaped to the two floors directly above the origination point on the 26th floor, resident Joel Horiguchi told CNN.
"I looked out my window and noticed black smoke," Horiguchi said. "I then opened my window to find the fire was a unit above us, just across. I also heard a neighbor above screaming for help."
Some residents were treated for smoke inhalation and at least three people were taken to the hospital, CNN affiliate KHON reported.
Local firefighters and police were going door-to-door in search of residents. Leonard Rosa, a security officer in the building, said it will be "hours" before the fire is under control.Daniel Hildebrandt, a tour guide who saw the fire told CNN: "It was smoke at first and it got worse and worse ... there were flames coming out of the window and people that seem to be trapped on their balcony," he said