Suspect allegedly used cooking oil to start Kalihi fire

Honolulu fire investigators have determined a deadly Kalihi Valley house fire was intentionally set.

Daniel Manuel, 58, appeared at District Court on Wednesday on charges of first-degree arson and second-degree murder in connection with the two-alarm fire that occurred at 2934 Kalihi St. early Monday.

Police said Manuel allegedly used cooking oil and a lighter to set two fires on the property before he fled, according to a court document.

When firefighters arrived, the structure was fully engulfed in flames. Fire crews found the body of a man inside the living room after they brought the fire under control. The Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to release the victim’s name.

The victim was living in a four-bedroom unit on the multi-unit property since July. Property manager Eve Ravelo said Manuel and his roommate shared a bedroom next to the victim’s room.

District Judge Lono Lee confirmed Manuel’s bail at $1 million and set his preliminary hearing for Friday at District Court.

Honolulu fire spokesman Capt. Kevin Mokulehua said the blaze started in multiple areas of the property. The Fire Department has transferred the case to police.

Officers arrested Manuel soon after the fire broke out at the dwelling.

According to a court document, a witness said he was in a bedroom with Manuel and Manuel’s roommate when he saw Manuel set a pillow on fire using cooking oil and a lighter. Police said Manuel’s roommate quickly put out the fire. Manuel immediately started another fire in front of their bedroom door and fled.

The witness and firefighters detained Manuel until police arrived.

Ravelo said other tenants told her they heard Manuel and the victim arguing at about midnight. Firefighters responded to the fire at the home at 1:52 a.m.

Mokulehua reported Wednesday that 21 people safely escaped the structure. The Fire Department initially reported nine people had escaped. The new damage estimate to the structure is $250,000, higher than the department’s initial estimate of $220,000. Damage to contents is estimated at $20,000.

Ravelo said she was shocked to hear about Manuel’s actions. She described him as a nice guy who recently became unruly, and said that he takes an antidepressant. “When he forgets to take it, he talks strange. He talks to himself.”

Manuel had been living in the unit for almost three years.

She and the property owner, who is also her aunt, issued Manuel and his roommate a notice in October to leave the property by November for violating house rules of loud noise in the middle of the night, failing to keep the unit clean and letting visitors sleep over.

At the request of Manuel’s case manager, Ravelo said they allowed him stay until the manager found another place for Manuel. She visited Manuel’s unit Saturday to discuss whether he found another place to live but he wasn’t home.

Meanwhile, the owner faces a $19,500 fine by the city Department of Planning and Permitting for exceeding the number of tenants allowed to reside on the property. Ravelo said she spoke to her aunt about the violations. “My aunty has a good heart,” said Ravelo, noting she provides housing for individuals receiving assistance from social service providers.

The city had issued a violation notice to the owner in March. In November, the city sent a violation order after corrections were not made.

An inspector is expected to visit the property sometime this week.