Chinatown building fire causes $125K in damage, classified as accidental

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Firefighters extinguished a building fire in Chinatown overnight.

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The Honolulu Fire Department said crews responded just after 11 p.m. Friday to a three-story mixed-use building on Kekaulike Street.

Firefighters launched an aggressive attack on the blaze and searched the building to confirm no occupants were inside.

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The fire was brought under control shortly after 12:30 a.m. and fully extinguished about 10 minutes later. No injuries were reported.

On July 29, an HFD fire investigator classified the fire as accidental.

Officials said the fire originated in the south end of a 1st floor warehouse from an electric scooter. The lithium batteries contained within the scoter experienced thermal runaway, ignited the scooter, and spread to nearby combustibles.

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The estimated fire loss is $125,000.