The victim of yesterday's early morning fire in a Kakaako elderly housing complex who was killed while smoking in bed was identified as Ron Cravens by the management company.

Scott Chai, vice president of Management Specialists, which maintains the seven-story housing complex at 545 Queen St., said Cravens was one of 150 senior citizens who are renters.

  Man dies in fire after smoking in bed

 

A 69-year-old man died in a fire in Kaka'ako apartment. Fire officials say he had apparently been smoking in bed.

 

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The Honuakaha Housing Complex was partially developed by the state in 1995. Located near the historic Royal Brewery building on Queen Street, it also includes 243 owner-occupied apartments.

The fire was reported extinguished when firefighters entered the sixth-floor studio unit at 3:18 a.m.

Firefighters said the man was dead when they arrived. Police said the 69-year-old victim was slumped to one side of the bed.

The fire was contained to the unit, and an interior sprinkler system had doused the flames before firefighters arrived.

Damage, estimated at $5,000, was limited to the mattress and a nearby wall.

Firefighters ventilated the smoke in the unit, secured the sprinkler system, and then removed water from the unit where the fire began and from several units on floors below.

Fire investigators have determined that the fire was accidentally caused by smoking.