Marco Polo first responders regard blaze as worst in modern times

Emergency responders regard the Marco Polo blaze as Honolulu’s worst in modern times — a wind-driven blaze that turned flames into a blowtorch.

The 134 firefighters dispatched on July 14 to the Kapiolani Boulevard high-rise condominium faced a “dragon’s firebrand,” Honolulu Fire Capt. Scot Seguirant said. While the fire was significantly smaller than the Chinatown fire of 1900, which wiped out 38 acres and 4,000 homes, Seguirant said it was Honolulu’s largest fire in recent history.

“We are talking about seasoned, experienced firefighters who encountered the worst, the hottest fire that they’ve ever felt. It exceeded their highest standard of what and how dangerous a fire is,” Seguirant recalled. “This isn’t like all the other fires that we fought. This is hotter, this is stronger, this is more taxing.”

Seguirant recalled seeing a “mentally challenged” look on some of the faces of firefighters who went to floors where it was so hot that “their skin felt like it was burning” even under their fire suits, he said.

Seguirant said Marco Polo’s nonworking elevator was a tremendous “manpower fiasco” that forced firefighters who typically wear about 70 pounds of protective clothing and gear to hustle up and down 36 flights of stairs. It also didn’t help that fire sprinklers had not been installed throughout the building and that none of the residents used wall hoses that were hung three to a floor next to the building’s fire extinguishers, he said.

“We kind of felt like we were on our little own island up there. We were all we had. You are relying on your brother and sister firefighters to not only do the job, but to make sure that we can get home,” he said.

Seguirant said wind-driven fires, which are characterized by rapid progression, often come with a higher incidence of casualties. To be sure, the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute has estimated that between 2002 and 2010 approximately 24 firefighters were killed in structure fires where wind was a factor.

“We did have one firefighter sustain heat exhaustion. We’re very fortunate that everyone made it home. But we did lose lives here. It’s still something that a lot of us struggle with, knowing that we were not as successful as we train to be. When you realize you are unable to get to someone who needs your help, it’s just a horrible thing,” Seguirant said.

Killed in the inferno that day were Britt Reller, 54; his mother, 87-year-old Melba Jeannine “Jean” Dilley; and their neighbors Joann M. Kuwata, 71, and Marilyn Van Gieson, who died Aug. 3 at age 81 from fire-related complications.

The Honolulu Emergency Medical Services Department also treated 12 patients, transporting five to the hospital. EMS sent nine ambulances with paramedics and EMTs, three district chiefs and two assistant chiefs.

“This was one of the largest responses to a mass casualty incident that I recall in my nearly 40 years with the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services,” recalled Honolulu EMS Chief Dean Nakano. “We learned a lot about our capabilities to manage such an incident and have implemented steps to better any future response to large-scale events like this one.”

On the anniversary of the tragedy, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said that the city Saturday will remember the lives lost and look forward to a safer future under a new measure, Bill 69, signed in May that is expected to encourage fire sprinkler installations.

“We know that if the Marco Polo building had sprinklers at the time of the fire, the blaze wouldn’t have spread as far and as fast as it did. I’m hopeful that with Bill 69 becoming law, more buildings will install these lifesaving sprinkler systems, keeping our residents and our first responders safe for years to come,” Caldwell said.

In October investigators ruled that the official cause of the fire was “undetermined” because of “extensive damage” in the unit where the blaze began. Seguirant said no new information or evidence has been presented; however, the case could be reopened if it were.

Despite the passage of time, he said memories from that day still linger, and closure is hard for some first responders.

“At some point you have to be able to move on to fight other fires. But you never forget, especially those who were on those (worst) floors or that maybe made an entry and actually found those victims,” Seguirant said. “It’s harder for them. It’s burned into their memory. You try to move on, and you do to a degree but it’s always there.”