HONOLULU (KHON2) — The cause of a building fire that damaged a downtown Honolulu warehouse last week has been ruled accidental.
Fire investigators determined the July 24 fire on Kekaulike Street originated in the south end of the first-floor warehouse from an electric scooter.
Firefighters respond to late-night blaze in downtown Honolulu
HFD said the scooter’s lithium-ion batteries experienced a thermal runaway, igniting the scooter before the flames spread to nearby combustible materials.
The fire caused an estimated $125,000 in damage:
- $100,000 in property damage
- $25,000 in damaged contents
Inital incident
The fire broke out just before 11:15 p.m. on July 24. HFD responded with 11 units and 40 personnel, with the first crew arriving on scene minutes later to find a three-story, mixed-use building engulfed in flames…