Marco Polo Building In Honolulu Goes Up In Flames, At Least 3 Dead
UPDATE: 1:50 a.m. EDT, Saturday — Apart from the three people who were confirmed dead Thursday in the Marco Polo Building fire in Honolulu, Hawaii, 16 others were injured in the five-alarm blaze that spread across multiple floors of the 36-storey building. As of 7 p.m. local time (1 a.m. EDT, Saturday), the Honolulu Fire Department declared the fire has been brought “under control.”
"Our hearts go out to the families. We hope everyone else is safe," said Honululu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, while speaking to the reporters at the scene, local news outlet Hawaii News Now reported.
With elevators no longer accessible, firefighters used the technique of human chains to get equipment to rescue crews on the upper levels of the building. The cause of the fire is still unknown and so is the final tally of the fatalities. Firefighters were scouring every apartment for signs of the people who might still be trapped in their individual units inside the building.
Original Story:
A five-alarm fire broke out at the Marco Polo Building in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Thursday 2 p.m. local time (8 p.m. EDT) that killed three residents of the high-rise.
The fire started on the 26th floor and quickly spread to a couple of floors above. By 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. EDT), the fire had elevated from a four-alarm fire to a five-alarm fire.
Emergency services were contacted within 10 to 15 minutes after the blaze started. More than 100 firefighters rushed to the scene and began evacuating people from the 568 apartments inside the building.
Read: London Fire At Grenfell Tower, 27-Storey Residential Building
According to the Honolulu Fire Department, the number of fatalities could increase as there was news of people trapped in some of the units inside the burning building. “We had people report that there are people unaccounted for on several floors around the fire. We are making sure we are addressing every concern as far as persons in the building, making sure that everyone gets out safely,” the department’s Capt. David Jenkins said, local news network KHON2 reported.
However, Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves told reporters: "Hopefully within another hour or so, it [fire] will be under control."
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell expressed frustration over the abscence of a sprinkler system in the Marco Polo Building. He told reporters fire could have been doused earlier, if the building had proper fire safety equipment in place, RT News reported.
The firefighters were also having troubles as the debris — falling from burning parts of the building — caused flames to erupt from areas which were unharmed by the fire, added Jenkins. Firefighters were trying to extinguish the fire by spraying water from the lower level balconies.
Read: California Wildfires Prompt Evacuation Calls As Hundreds Of Homes In Danger
Several people were treated for minor to severe injuries. The area from McCully Street to Hausten Street has been closed due to the blaze.
Cops were present on the scene yelling into microphones, asking people to leave their belongings and come out of the building as quickly as they could. As the fire touched the floors above, people were getting anxious.
Aaron Dengler, a fourth-floor resident of the building, who was helping an elderly neighbor get to the American Red Cross in a nearby park to get medical aid, said, "People are getting kind of nervous now," ABC 7 reported. "It's worrisome."
“I feel worried, concerned and a little angry,” said Patrick Williamson, who lives on the 32nd floor with his two sons and immediately evacuated with his family after the fire started. “For the fire to get this out of control is a little suspicious. Either the fire department was late in response or there was something going on in that unit. Either way one wonders what happened and I feel a little bit less secure living in the building.”
Local people, living in the neighborhood, joined hands to provide help to those being rescued from the burning building. One of the neighbors, Troy Yasuda, said: “They were choking from the smoke.” The American Red Cross of Honolulu also offered their services, stating they were ready to house 800 people overnight if required.
One of the largest fires this year occurred in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London on June 14 that left 80 people dead.
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