Crime & Safety
Honolulu High-Rise Fire: Search Is On For Flammable Liquids
An arson dog is searching unit 2602 where the fire began, fire officials said. The blaze left three people dead and injured a dozen others.
HONOLULU, HI — Fire investigators with an arson dog have arrived in Honolulu to search for flammable liquids in the apartment unit where a high-rise blaze broke out last week, killing three people.
The dog is searching unit 2602 of the Marco Polo building where the fire began, Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins said Tuesday. The search does not necessarily mean there is a criminal element to their investigation, he said.
The blaze Friday also injured a dozen people. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
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The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also helping to determine the cause of the fire, fire officials said.
The damaged apartments are not considered a crime scene, Honolulu police said Monday. The fire department released the building around 1 a.m. Saturday, just hours after battling the flames Friday night.
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City officials have introduced a bill requiring sprinkler systems in all high-rise buildings.
NBC News posted video of the blaze on Twitter:
DEVELOPING: Evacuations underway at high-rise building in Honolulu after four-alarm fire erupts. (Video by Greg Walker.) pic.twitter.com/9Tf2uakhwc
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 15, 2017
Photo credit: Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Marco Garcia/Associated Press