A fire ripped through a building in Wahiawa early Sunday morning, triggering a two-alarm response from the Honolulu Fire Department.
HFD said 10 units staffed with 34 personnel rushed to the two-story building just after 3:15 a.m. It was located at the intersection of North Cane Street and Kilani Avenue.
When firefighters got there, they found heavy smoke and flames coming out of the building.
Ash Rodaje’s grandmother Gregoria owned the building. She was shocked to see the devastation. She recalled being awakened by neighbors when the fire broke out. If it wasn’t for their quick action, the family fears lives could’ve been lost.
“Five of the apartments upstairs were filled with people. There is approximately 13 families in there, so when the two families in the middle heard the explosion, they started knocking on all of our doors. Some of them were able to get out but some of them were actually stuck,” Ash Rodaje said.