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A Waikiki hotel employee was hospitalized and two other people required treatment during a fire at a the high-rise building this morning.
A man in his 30s was taken to an Oahu hospital in serious condition apparently after suffering from smoke inhalation from the fire at the Hilton Waikiki Prince Hotel, said Bryan Cheplic, a city Department of Emergency Services spokesman.
Two other people, a man and a woman, were treated at the scene after complaining of smoke inhalation but did not require hospitalization, Cheplic said.
Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig said the man who was hospitalized was a hotel employee.
A sprinkler system activated and kept the fire from spreading, Seelig said. By the time, firefighters reached the scene, there were no flames although the room was smoldering, he said.
Guests in the 601-room hotel were evacuated.
The fire was reported at 5:52 a.m. in a room on the 14th floor of 2500 Kuhio Ave., Seelig said. The fire was reported under control at 6:04 a.m. and extinguished at 6:07 a.m.
Fire investigators determined the fire was started accidentally when a hotel guest placed a piece of clothing on top of a lamp and did not realize the lamp had been turned on, Seelig said.
The fire caused about $15,000 damage to the room.
Firefighters from the Waikiki, McCully and Pawaa stations responded.
