A man suspected of starting a fire early Tuesday in a Chinatown high-rise apartment building remained at Straub Clinic & Hospital yesterday morning, where he was being treated for second-degree burns to about 20 percent of his body — primarily his extremities, police said.

Zhan Hang Yu, 37, was arrested on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the 5:20 a.m. fire that displaced hundreds of residents of Kukui Tower at the corner of Nu'uanu Avenue and Kukui Street. Most of the residents were allowed to return to their undamaged apartments later Tuesday morning.

Yu does not have a criminal history in Hawai'i, court records show.

Six people were treated for smoke inhalation, four of whom were taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department.

Police yesterday morning said the suspect "apparently had domestic issues" with one or more of the residents in the apartment where the fire occurred, but did not elaborate on what those issues were. Yu's family members turned him in, police said. He is accused of running from the building after pouring flammable liquid on the floor of the apartment building and lighting it.

Police believe the fire was not a random act, but was aimed specifically at someone within the apartment that was the most heavily damaged by the fire.

Fire officials have said four people were inside the two-bedroom apartment when the fire broke out and that they sought refuge in a back bedroom.