Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Tuesday, April 30, 2024 77° Today's Paper


Top News

Investigators enter Hawaii fireworks blast site

1/1
Swipe or click to see more

Dennis Oda / doda@staradvertiser.com A pickup truck that sustained the most damage from the explosion of stored fireworks in a Waikele Business Center bunker was put on a truck and hauled away yesterday after officers wrapped up their preliminary investigation for the day.

 

Federal investigators looking into the deadly explosion at a Hawaii fireworks storage bunker examined the scene of the eruption for the first time Tuesday, four days after the blast killed five people.

Police officers went inside the bunker over the weekend to remove the bodies of two men, but it had been too hot to conduct an investigation until Tuesday.

An explosives specialist and a bomb technician from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives entered the bunker and found more explosives, ATF Honolulu field office agent Jordan Lowe said. No further attempts to enter would be made until authorities can find a way to mitigate the threat, he said.

There have been no known additional explosions since the Friday blast, Lowe said.

Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Terry Seelig said the public has been asked to stay away from the site, including those bearing flowers or setting up memorials. Authorities put up barrier tape to prevent onlookers from getting too close to the bunker entrance.

KSSK reported Tuesday that a memorial fund has been established for the victims.

The company that employed the workers, Donaldson Enterprises, had a contract with a federal agency to destroy illegal fireworks that had been confiscated, Seelig said. The leased bunker housed large aerial fireworks.

A man who identified himself as a Donaldson project manager declined to comment on the explosion or the memorial fund.

The Honolulu medical examiner’s office has yet to release the names of the victims.

 

Comments are closed.