HONOLULU (AP) -- Some residents of a Kapiolani Boulevard high-rise rushed to leave the building after fire broke out in a 17th-floor apartment but forget to sound the fire alarm to warn fellow residents.
Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said the safety tip to be learned is to remember to pull the fire alarm.
The fire at the Ala Moana Tower at 1617 Kapiolani Boulevard near Ala Moana Center was reported around 2 p.m. Saturday. The blaze caused $140,000 and left one man homeless. The cause is under investigation.
Some residents of the building were alerted to the blaze only when smoke in the upper floors began to get thick, Tejada said. Firefighters went door-to-door on the 15th through 18th floors, making sure everyone got out, he said.
A woman who lives across the hall from the gutted unit didn't know about the blaze until a firefighter knocked on her door and pulled her out, Tejada said.
Firefighters tested the building's alarm after the blaze and confirmed that it worked, he said.
