Over 100 Honolulu firefighters tackled a deadly five-alarm high-rise fire Friday.
The fire started in an apartment on the 26th floor of the Marco Polo building on Kapiolani Boulevard around 2:15 p.m.
"We had people report that there are people unaccounted for on several floors around the fire. We are making sure we are addressing every concern as far as persons in the building, making sure that everyone gets out safely,” Honolulu Fire Capt. David Jenkins told KHON2.com.
Jenkins said the fire spread to other units on the 26th floor and left the floors of the 36-story building covered in soot.
"There have been reports of debris falling from the fire floor and causing secondary fires on other parts of the building below at the second-floor level," said Jenkins.
EMS officials said they were treating numerous residents for smoke inhalation and many of the residents were elderly.
“This lady’s voice, I’m not kidding you. I’m trembling. She’s like help me, help me, and I couldn’t see her because the smoke was so dark,” resident Teresa Sommerville told the television station. “All of a sudden the wind shifts and you see this lady is standing inside the lanai. She’s not standing over the edge or anything, and she’s like ‘Help me, help me.'”
