2 die in building fire near Punchbowl
Feb. 24—UPDATE: 3:26 p.m.
Two people were killed in a house fire in the Makiki-Lower Punchbowl area today.
More than 40 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire on the 900 block of Spencer Street just before 12:50 p.m. When crews arrived, they saw the two-story residential structure engulfed in flames, said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Malcolm Medrano.
Crews battled the flames from Spencer and Prospect streets. Firefighters found a man dead just outside on the ground floor of the residence. A woman was also found dead in a bedroom on the ground floor, Medrano said.
The man and woman were possibly in their 60s to 70s, authorities said. Positive identification is pending.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control shortly after 1 p.m. and extinguished it at 1:40 p.m.
The American Red Cross was notified to assist a woman who resides on the second floor of the home. She was not at the house at the time of the fire, Medrano said.
The fire department extended its condolences to the family of the two people killed in the fire. "They're in our hearts and in our thoughts," Medrano said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. A damage estimate has yet to be determined.
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Honolulu firefighters are responding to a fire that broke out at a structure in the Makiki-Lower Punchbowl area today.
Ten units with nearly 40 firefighters responded to the fire in the 900 block of Spencer Street just before 12:50 p.m.
Upon arrival, crews found flames on the roof of a two-story structure, the Honolulu Fire Department said.
Firefighters brought the fire under control shortly after 1 p.m.
Crews are still working to extinguish the fire and searching for any occupants in the structure.
Honolulu police closed Prospect Street between Ward Avenue and Magazine Street and Spencer Street from Victoria Street to Magazine Street due to the fire.
