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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 8:16 a.m., Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Cause of 2 fires on Friday found to be accidental

Advertiser Staff

Honolulu Fire Department fire investigators have completed their investigations of two fires which occurred on Friday, Jan. 30.

The first fire involved a vehicle at the intersection of Kalanianaole Highway and Puuikena Drive, near the entrance to Hawaii Loa Ridge, while the second fire happened at the Heald College Plaza building at 1500 Kapiolani Blvd.

The Fire Investigator has classified both fires as accidental.

The Kalanianaole Highway vehicle fire involved a Toyota pickup truck that was traveling west-bound. The fire injured the two occupants of the vehicle, one seriously, and destroyed the truck. The Fire Investigator determined the fire was accidentally caused by an electrical failure within a power inverter socket in the bed of the truck. Damage is estimated $26,000.

The Kapiolani fire occurred in a section of the fifth floor roof of the Heald College Plaza building that was being repaired. Smoke from the fire entered the building's air conditioning and ventilation system causing an evacuation of approximately 100 occupants.

There was no interior flame or heat damage or injuries cause by the fire. A wet standpipe connection that failed during firefighting operations caused water damage to parts of the building.

The Fire Investigator determined that workers had used a torch to prepare the asphalt-like sheeting for the roof repairs and had accidentally caused charring to a wooden roof cap. The charred wood continued to smolder after being covered by the asphalt sheeting. Damage is estimated at $40,000 to the structure and $10,000 to the contents of the building.