Man, 29, dies from Jan. 1 Aliamanu fireworks blast
A 29-year-old man injured Jan. 1 when a cache of illegal aerial fireworks detonated in Aliamanu died at a hospital in Arizona this morning.
The death, at 6:42 a.m. Hawaii time, is the fifth fatality tied to the explosion at 4411 Keaka Drive.
Carmelita Benigno, 61, Nelie Ibarra, 58, and Jennifer Van, 23, died in the blast at a Keaka Drive house party at 12:01 a.m. New Year’s Day. Cassius Ramos-Benigno, 3, died Jan. 6 at the hospital.
Benigno was the grandmother of Ramos-Benigno, and Ibarra was the child’s great-aunt.
Benigno’s son Junior and her daughter Charmaine Benigno were among the six people flown to an Arizona burn center for specialized treatment.
Ramos-Benigno was the only child taken by ambulance to a hospital. Thirteen ambulances transported 21 people to hospitals, 19 of them in critical condition with burns.
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On Friday, Honolulu police arrested a 33-year-old mother and a 33-year-old father Friday afternoon in connection with the Jan. 1 Aliamanu fireworks explosion that killed four people and injured dozens of others.
At 2:30 p.m., Ruben T. Mateo and Jewel Ann Quines Cabras were arrested at 4144 Keaka Drive on suspicion of first-degree reckless endangering, first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and three fireworks offenses.
The couple allegedly let their three kids, ages 15, 10 and 1, ignite illegal fireworks. The youngest child was wounded during the blast and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment before being released.
No charges have been filed in the case by the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney as of Monday morning.