Dozens of firefighters are battling a giant blaze in a Honolulu high-rise apartment building. So far, three people have been confirmed dead in a fire that has rippled through the high-rise.
The blaze began on the 26th floor of the Marco Polo apartments, but the fire has spread far and wide. The fire has already spread to the 27th floor and beyond.
They’re reports of people trapped inside their apartments, while the building still burns.
Paramedics have already tended to several victims of the fire. Two burn victims were sent to the hospital, where they are in serious, yet stable condition.
Troy Yasuda, a man who lives across the street, said that “They were choking from the smoke,” and that people have evacuated through dark stairwells in order to escape the burning building. Yasuda reportedly handed out water to the victims escaping the fire.
Police picked up megaphones and yelled for people still in the building to come out immediately.
“It’s been an orderly evacuation,” said security guard Leonard Rosa. He reported police and firefighters going door to door to evacuate people from the 31-story building.
The Marco Polo high-rise has 568 apartments and four commercial spaces. But on Friday, this building was under siege with fire enveloping its upper portion.
Two hours into the blaze, and the flames are already reaching the 28th floor. The fire was growing by the second. “People are getting kind of nervous now,” said Marco Polo resident Aaron Dengler. “It’s worrisome.”
Fourth-floor resident Aaron Dengler and his wife reportedly showed their good Samaritan side during the fire. They assisted their elderly neighbor by helping her get to an aid station the American Red Cross has positioned in a nearby park. Dengler said, “It doesn’t help to just stand and watch.”
