Fire investigators in Honolulu were unable to determine the cause of an explosion April 8 at Waikele Self Storage, which killed five men.

July 5, 2011

1 Min Read
Cause of Explosion at Waikele Self Storage in Hawaii Still Unknown

Fire investigators in Honolulu were unable to determine the cause of an explosion April 8 at Waikele Self Storage, which killed five men.

Firefighters responded to a reported car fire, but discovered the flames had possibly ignited fireworks, which the local fire department had authorized in the past to be stored at the facility.

The men may have been workers for Donaldson Industries, the company leasing the underground storage space. Donaldson Enterprises is an ordnance-demolition company, and the men were working at the storage bunker when the fires broke out.

The Honolulu Fire Department announced last week it has completed its investigation at the facility, but cannot pinpoint the fires origin from the fire and blast patterns. According to fire investigators, possible ignition sequences include accidental scenarios such weather-related activity, electrostatic buildup, electrical sparking, smoking or fireworks handling, an incendiary event, or operational or accidental actions of persons in the bunker.

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