Three persons have been confirmed dead in a recent fire outbreak in Honolulu’s high-rise building. About 100 firefighters have been mobilized to the area to curb the fire spread.
At around 2:15pm EST (Hawaiian time) on Friday, thick black flames were seen coming from the Marco Polo building near Waikiki. The fire had erupted from the 26th floor and was spreading up above to two other floors.
Captain David Jenkins from the Honolulu Fire Services confirmed the death of three people who had suffered multiple injuries from the outbreak. He also said measures need to be taken immediately to avoid more fatalities.
60+ firefighters battling a 5-alarm fire in a residential condo in Honolulu. #HIfire pic.twitter.com/y3ouU9ttfv
— MikeG-SportsPhotog™ (@Mike_Goodlander) July 15, 2017
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.”
