EWA BEACH (HawaiiNewsNow) - A deadly house fire in Ewa Beach left two women dead and several others injured Wednesday evening, authorities said.The Honolulu Fire Department says the fire began just after 6:30 p.m. on Fort Weaver Road. When crews arrived, they found flames and smoke coming from the front of the home, with a smaller structure in the back also on fire.Neighbor Robert Mattos said he and his brother-in-law didn’t hesitate to rush into the burning home to help.“At first, I thought there was this ye...
EWA BEACH (HawaiiNewsNow) - A deadly house fire in Ewa Beach left two women dead and several others injured Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The Honolulu Fire Department says the fire began just after 6:30 p.m. on Fort Weaver Road. When crews arrived, they found flames and smoke coming from the front of the home, with a smaller structure in the back also on fire.
Neighbor Robert Mattos said he and his brother-in-law didn’t hesitate to rush into the burning home to help.
“At first, I thought there was this yelling at the dogs, but then I hear that the screaming never stopped. So that’s when I came running out,” Mattos said.
Within minutes, he said, half the house was already engulfed, and oxygen tanks inside the home exploded as the fire spread, making it difficult to get inside.
“I went in with one of the other girls. She was ahead of me. Once she went past the hallway, I was right behind her, but then a big flame came out, and I couldn’t get past the hallway,” he said.
Mattos said he barely made it out, then grabbed hoses from nearby yards to help keep the flames from spreading.
HFD said 11 units and 40 firefighters responded to the two-alarm blaze, bringing it under control within about 50 minutes.
One woman was found dead under the collapsed home. Two others were taken to the hospital, and five others suffered minor injuries.
One of those hospitalized, a 32-year-old woman, died of her injuries Thursday evening, police said.
“We got most of, we got most of everybody out,” Mattos said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.