At least three dead in Hawaii tower fire

At least three people have died and five more were injured after flames ripped through an expensive high-rise apartment block in Hawaii.

Around 100 firefighters were called to the Marco Polo tower in Honolulu, which has over 560 apartments and was not equipped with sprinklers, after a major blaze started on the 26th floor and quickly spread upwards.

The majority of residents were evacuated and managed to escape the flames but the fire department said the number of casualties could increase as some people remained unaccounted for.

The majority of residents were evacuated but some remain unaccounted for

HUGH GENTRY/REUTERS

The firefighters fully extinguished the blaze after four hours and later knocked on the doors of every apartment in the tower to check for anyone trapped by the flames.

Troy Yasuda, who witnessed the fire, described how he provided water to people who evacuated and “were choking from the smoke”. He said that a large amount of debris including window frames fell from the burning apartments onto the street below, putting witnesses at risk of harm.