Editorial: High-rise fire safety

Recent fires at residential high-rises in Honolulu are sober reminders that the safety concerns raised by 2017’s tragic Marco Polo condominium fire haven’t gone away.

Apartment fires broke out in March on the 25th floor at the Chateau Waikiki on Hobron Lane, and on April 20 at Rainbow Place in Moiliili, on the 21st floor. Neither building has fire sprinklers.

In both incidents, residents evacuated the buildings and the Honolulu Fire Department responded in force: The Waikiki fire drew 11 units and 43 personnel; the Moiliili fire, 16 units and 58 personnel. Evacuees were treated for breathing difficulty and exhaustion; one 83-year-old man who escaped the Moiliili fire collapsed and later died.

Unfortunately, this type of response is par for the course with fires in densely populated high-rises that lack effective fire suppression systems. No one wants another Marco Polo disaster, which killed four people and caused more than $100 million in damage.

Marco Polo prompted calls to mandate installation of fire sprinklers in Oahu’s 360-plus older residential highrises that lacked them. But many residents, fearing the high cost, fought back, and last year the City Council settled on a compromise: Install the sprinklers or conduct a building fire and safety evaluation within three years, and comply with the evaluation’s findings in six years.

Now the Council wants to ease the requirement even more. Among other things, Bill 96 (2018) would pause the six-year deadline if city permits are delayed. And the evaluation could be skipped under certain circumstances if building owners opt for installing sprinklers. Bill 96 was sent to the mayor, who will have to decide if the changes are reasonable, or if they compromise safety. If it’s the latter, he should veto it.