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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, March 26, 2005

Fatal fire likely electrical, HFD says

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

A fire that swept through a home in Kaimuki early Thursday morning killing two elderly women was accidental, started in the living room and was most likely electrical in nature, a Honolulu Fire Department spokesman said yesterday.

IN CASE OF FIRE

If you wake up in bed with smoke in the room:

• Roll out of bed.

• Stay low and crawl to the door. Smokes fills a room from the ceiling down.

• Test the door with the back of your hand.

• If the door is hot, go to another exit.

• If the door is cool, open it slowly and go to your meeting place outside the home.

• Do not go back in your home. You may be seriously injured.

• Use your neighbor's phone to call.

If you are in a high-rise apartment:

Follow the same rules and include the following:

• Take the stairs when exiting.

• Close the door behind you and take your keys.

• Do not use the elevator. Elevators may open at a floor on fire or stop working, trapping you inside.

Source: Honolulu Fire Department

Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said laboratory tests would be needed to determine the exact cause of the blaze at 3273A Lincoln Ave. that killed Eleanore Miyake, 89, and her sister, Evelyn Miyake, 82.

Firefighters received the alarm call at about 3:45 a.m. and were at the scene four minutes later, but had trouble getting into the burning home because the front door was locked and there were heavy security bars over the windows.

Fire officials urged homeowners to have a clear escape route in place.

Tejada said the fire department does not have an official policy on security bars.

"It's a personal security issue as to whether you want to use them or not, but our position is that if you do install them, be very familiar with escape routes for you and your family."

Tejada said escape route planning needs to be updated periodically.

"You need to practice getting out of the house in the middle of the night not just during daytime hours," Tejada said.

It's also imperative to be aware that your ability to get out of your home can change dramatically as family members age.

The security bars over the windows of the Miyake sisters' home had a quick-release device, but one of the windows was blocked by a dresser in one room and by a shelf in another.

Moving furniture out of the way to get to a window to escape may be a snap for someone 40 or 50 years old but can present a deadly, insurmountable hurdle for someone in their 70s or beyond, Tejada said.

The fire department also strongly encourages everyone to install smoke detectors in their homes.

"It's well-documented that smoke detectors save lives," Tejada said.

Smoke rises and will set off the smoke detector, enabling someone in a burning building to stay low to the floor and inhale breathable air while escaping from the building, Tejada said.

Without a smoke detector, however, the smoke rises until it hits the ceiling and then begins to fill back down into the room.

If someone is asleep and is awakened by breathing smoke, the tendency is to sit up in bed rather than rolling out of the bed onto the floor.

"If you sit upright, you're going to be breathing even more dense smoke, further lessening your chances of getting out of the building," Tejada said.

When selecting a smoke detector, pick a loud one and have family members participate in a drill in the late-night or early-morning hours, Tejada said.

"When a smoke alarm goes off in the middle of the night, it can be very disorienting, especially for younger children. Studies have shown that some children just disregard the alarm and go back to sleep," Tejada said.

Drills, especially those in the middle of the night, will help reinforce children's understanding of what they need to do to escape a burning building, Tejada said.

Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-7412.