3 dead in fire in Honolulu high-rise apartment building

[TexasTowelie]

Smoke billows from a high-rise apartment building in Honolulu, Friday, July 14, 2017. Dozens of firefighters are battling the multiple-alarm fire at Marco Polo apartments that Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins said started on the 26th floor and has spread to other units. (Audrey McAvoy / Associated Press)


HONOLULU – At least three people died and at least 12 were injured in a fire that broke out on the 26th floor of a Honolulu high-rise Friday, and hundreds fled from the giant apartment complex as smoke billowed from the upper floors, authorities said.

The blaze at the Marco Polo apartments spread from at least up to the 28th floor and hit several units, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins.

The three dead were found on the 26th floor, said Fire Chief Manuel Neves.

Firefighters say there were reports of people trapped in their units in the burning building and some residents were unaccounted for.

Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jul/14/3-dead-in-fire-in-honolulu-high-rise-apartment-bui/

[Warpy]

1. Built in 1971, no sprinklers, not even in halls and stairwells

When codes change, landlords need to be given a few years to retrofit. Shit like this should never happen, looks like most of the people are elderly.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. These are condos

You will never see a consensus anywhere like you will see when a condo association is deciding not to spend money.

[Warpy]

3. Right, especially when all the owners are older than god

which is why fire laws with teeth in them need to force the issue.

The old folks who make it out of the hospital and find everything toasted and/or water damaged might reconsider spending a few bucks on future fire suppression.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. If there was ever something that should be shoved back in the bottle...

The condo/strata would be it.

Round these geezers up a week from now, a few of them will start rambling about being on a fixed income, the rest of the room will start nodding their heads and nothing will happen.

Like the 401k, nobody really contemplated the implications of the amateur governance of skyscrapers.