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Honolulu firefighters extinguish large building fire at Varsity Circle

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                According to an HFD alert, the fire broke out just before 11 a.m. at 2816 Varsity Circle.
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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

According to an HFD alert, the fire broke out just before 11 a.m. at 2816 Varsity Circle.

Updated at 9:05 p.m.

An HFD fire investigator has classified the cause of today’s fire at a four-unit apartment building on Varsity Circle as accidental. The investigator determined the blaze was caused by an electrical arc at an outlet located in the bedroom of a second-floor unit floor.

Damage was estimated at $580,000 to the property and $40,000 to the contents. Smoke alarms were present but the fire was discovered prior to their activation, HFD said.

Honolulu firefighters this morning extinguished a large fire at a four-unit apartment building near the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s lower campus.

According to an HFD alert, the fire broke out just before 11 a.m. at a Varsity Circle address. Firefighters put out the blaze this afternoon.

HFD Capt. Randall Lindsey said in a statement that ten HFD units, staffed with 36 personnel, responded to the two-alarm fire.

“The first unit arrived at 11:01 a.m. to find smoke and flames emanating from the second story of a two-story residential building,” Lindsey said. “Fire crews immediately launched a defensive fire attack and began accounting for all occupants.”

Lindsey reported that the fire was under control at 11:27 a.m. and extinguished at 12:08 p.m. Fire firefighters had to deal with windy conditions, but the fire did not threaten any structures, he said.

“The American Red Cross was activated to assist four families,” he said. “One adult male was transported by Emergency Medical Services for treatment.”

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services reported that it treated two women from a neighboring building for smoke inhalation. EMS said a 57-year-old woman was seriously injured and taken to a nearby emergency room. A 59-year-old woman was treated, but refused to be transported.

Lindsey said the Fire Investigator is at the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

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