Waipahu fire
destroys complex

Honolulu fire crews struggle to meet numerous
alarms as half of its resources are on call

Junior Tautalatasi ran across the street to save his sister- in-law and others from their burning apartment building in Waipahu.

"I helped carry her out, then I went back to help the other people," Tautalatasi said. "I've never seen a fire spread that fast in my 65 years of living."

The fire at 94-241 Aniani Place, which firefighters believe started as a brush fire possibly caused by fireworks, destroyed or heavily damaged the building's eight units and left about 36 people homeless. It was the worst of many fires yesterday that kept Honolulu firefighters busy throughout the day.

"It was more than hectic today," said fire Capt. Kenison Tejada.

As of 5 p.m., there were 28 brush fires. So far this year, there have been more than 500 brush fires, surpassing the pace of 2003, a record year.

The Honolulu Fire Department was at Level 3 manning, meaning 50 percent of its resources were committed to incidents, he said. This leads to delayed response times and also necessitates bringing engines from farther away, Tejada said.

A brush fire at Iroquois Point consumed 50 acres, but didn't threaten any homes.

At Campbell Industrial Park, firefighters were called to Hawaii Metal Recycling between 11:30 a.m. and noon, and did not have the blaze under control until 6 p.m.

The fire began in a pile of more than 300 cars, along with appliances and other scrap metal, said Battalion Chief Ron Rico. "All the combustible materials -- that's what was burning," he said.

The tires and fuel tanks had already been removed from the cars and were ready for the conveyor belt to go into a grinder, Rico said.

Yesterday's fires followed a busy Fourth of July, with 101 brush fires, 16 rubbish fires, eight dumpster fires and six other fires. More than 80 percent of Monday's fires were attributed to fireworks, Tejada said.

Another brush fire between Lualualei Naval Road and Iliili Road scorched 125 acres of military land and four acres of private land. The fire threatened a couple of homes, but firefighters prevented any damage.

At Aniani Place, about 35 firefighters responded to the blaze that caused an estimated $295,000 in structural damage and $120,000 in content damage. Five apartments were destroyed, and the other three units had significant water and smoke damage. Fire officials classified the building as "uninhabitable."

American Red Cross officials said they found shelter for 17 of the displaced residents. The remaining residents stayed with family.

Tautalatasi watched the fire creep up a hillside and ignite a tent adjacent to the apartment building.

"I don't know where they are going to live," he said of the displaced tenants.