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Crews battle 3-alarm Waikiki hotel fire

1/11
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Video by Jamm Aquino / jaquino@staradvertiser.com
Fire crews extinguished a three-alarm fire at the Waikiki Beachcomber By Outrigger hotel on Monday night.
2/11
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A three-alarm fire at a high-rise hotel sent rattled guests into the streets of Waikiki on Monday night and prompted the closure of Kalakaua Avenue, but there were no reports of injuries. Honolulu Fire Department investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set.
3/11
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Crews promptly extinguished the blaze at the 496-room Waikiki Beachcomber By Outrigger, 2300 Kalakaua Ave.
4/11
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The Honolulu Fire Department said that the first units arrived at 8:46 p.m. and found no signs of smoke or fire from the exterior of the building. Firefighters found the fire elevators were not working, so they had to investigate on foot.
5/11
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They found that the fire began near a storage room on the 14th floor. Occupants in unit 1417 requested help to evacuate, but were told to shelter in place because a fire sprinkler system had controlled the fire.
6/11
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The fire was reported in unit 1417 at 8:36 p.m. and extinguished by 9:13 p.m. Fifteen fire units with 57 personnel responded to the blaze, which sent smoke billowing into at least three floors — the 14th, 15th and 16th.
7/11
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There was no early estimate of damage from flames or smoke. Smoke is mainly in the middle of the 28-story hotel.
8/11
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Firefighters then began checking to see if all guests had evacuated from the affected floors. Meanwhile, scores of hotel guests waited downstairs and across the street from the hotel.
9/11
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Kalakaua Avenue, a one-way artery through Waikiki, was immediately closed, with traffic being rerouted onto Seaside Avenue.
10/11
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Upper-floor fires pose a particular challenge to fire crews, in part because ladder trucks are effective only to about the fifth floor.
11/11
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Firefighters work the scene as people look on after a fire along Kalakaua Avenue on Monday in Waikiki. Honolulu Fire Department investigators estimate damage to the building at $1,765,650.