A Hawaiian man who rushed into a burning building to get everyone to safety has been hailed as a local hero.
William Kuahine, who transports fuel for Island Energy Services, said the training came in handy last Saturday morning in Honolulu, where he has been a volunteer firefighter with the company for seven years.
He was buying dog treats at Hawaii Doggie Bakery near Manoa around 10:45 a.m. when his wife first noticed smoke coming from an apartment building across the street.
“She said, ‘Hey, I think there’s a fire in that building.’ And I was like, you know, my background, I just looked over my shoulder just to check. , I could definitely see smoke creeping into the building “window”, Kuahine Said local station con 2.
This energy worker, who was in the right place at the right time, sprang into action and entered the facility to get everyone out.
“I just did what I thought I had to do and it was the right thing to do at the time,” Kuahine explained.
He first went to units on the right side of the building, which were not yet affected by the fire, and tried to get people out safely.
He then went to the burning apartment and knocked on the door, but no one answered.
“I started to feel the cause of the door. In fire drills, you’re taught that there’s a possibility of backdrafting, rather than just kicking the door in,” he told reporters.
When the door felt cold enough to touch, he forced his way inside and was joined by another good Samaritan.
“So I ended up kicking the door down,” he explained. “The gentlemen who were behind me went ahead with me and we started clearing the room and I went to the room where the fire was. And at that point the fire was half way through the room to the ceiling and almost There was fire starting in the room and into the main living area.”
After searching the entire apartment, Kuahine was able to confirm that no one was home.
“At that point the fire was already in the living room and we just had to evacuate.”
Residents of the building told KHON2 they were grateful for Kuahine’s heroic efforts in raising the last-minute warning.
“The community came together,” he said, crediting others who intervened. No one was injured or killed, and in that sense it worked. ”
After the local fire department responded to extinguish the fire, Kuahine spoke with Manoa’s captain from Engine 22.
“Finally, he asked me my last name again and I said William Quahine, but he said no… Our fire truck responded, so we named the engine Kuahine,” he said. “It was shocking. I thought, “No way.”
He cited his previous training to prepare for this moment.
“At that time I was not fit to go into the fire, but I would like to think that my training on the job prepared me for such a moment,” Kuahine explained. “I have to help. And I hope someone will help my family when they are in trouble.”
