Photos/Story by Earle K. Kealoha

Honolulu, Hawaii -- On Wednesday, February 27,2002, fire gutted the second floor of a multiple-family dwelling at 1511 Adelaide Street, leaving one woman dead and three others injured including one firefighter. The fire started at approximately 1530 hours after an unattended pot ignited upstairs in the kitchen of the residence. It took eleven Honolulu Fire Department Units and forty-four personnel four-and a-half hours to extinguish the blaze, account for all the occupants and secure the scene. Damage estimates included $400,000 to the home and $80,000 to its' contents. Twenty-five people were left homeless as a result of the fire. The owner of the home was initially able to rush inside and rescue one of his family members, but he was unable to rescue his aunt after flames within the structure made re-entry impossible. He was later taken to the Queens Medical Center and was treated for smoke inhalation along with another family member. One firefighter was slightly injured when he partially fell through the second floor during overhaul. He was treated at the scene and remained on-duty.

Engine 6, Rescue 2, and Battalion 1 were already operating at the scene of a "Person Pinned in Auto" on H-1 Freeway near Honolulu's International Airport when the blaze broke out. Ironically, Engine 32, which is normally Second Due for this area, had just passed by a block from the residence minutes earlier on their way back to quarters. Captain Socrates Bratakos and his crew noticed the thick black smoke as they pulled into their station. Captain Bratakos notified Fire Communication Center of the situation and proceeded to respond to the scene. Lack of an exact address and afternoon traffic hampered their approach and most of the second floor was involved by the time Engine 32 arrived. Firefighter 3 Galen Vasconcellos positioned his apparatus facing the "A" & "B" corner of the structure. Firefighter Duane Johnasen secured a water supply by snubbing a hydrant with a 4" supply line. Firefighter Corey Apo set up E-32's deck gun to protect exposures on the "B" side of the building while Firefighter Shannon Parker stretched a 2 ½" blitz line and proceeded to protect a neighboring home on the "D" side. After his initial size-up, it was clear to Captain Bratakos that this would be a defensive operation, so he began to direct additional companies to take up positions on the "C" & "D" sides of the property.

Battalion 1 established "Kalihi Command" after a face-to-face transfer with Captain Bratakos. Engine 25 secured a hydrant off of Likelike Highway to supply Quint 31's aerial. They also laid out a 2 ½" line and took a position on the garage roof of a home on the "C" side. Engine 4 also secured a hydrant, laid out 2-2 ½" lines and protected exposures on the "D" side. Engine 6 hooked up a supply line to E-4 and laid out a 1-1/2" and 2-1/2" line on the "D" side. Rescue 2 was designated as the RIT. Ladder 4 along with Engines 1 & 30, were brought in to assist with rehab, overhaul, and final extinguishments of the blaze. The fire was declared extinguished at 2002.