HONOLULU (KHON2) — A local stained glass artist took a breath of relief on Thursday, Dec. 12 after she learned her precious artwork survived a storage fire.
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Honolulu Fire Department officials said the blaze started from a candle that ignited items in Ohana Self Storage in October, 2024.
Aloha McNeil first put her stained glass in Ohana Self Storage 11 years ago and never expected to get the call that she recieved on the evening of Monday, Oct. 23.
“And they said, ‘Oh, the place was on fire,” McNeil said. “I was not allowed to get in for almost two months. So this is the day that it’s over. I was expecting a lot of water damage because they said there were five fire trucks, I think boxes got wet. You can see the dirt at the bottom of the windows.”
McNeil’s son Alastar said it is an absolute blessing that the pieces were not destroyed — and barely damaged — considering how each of the 2,050 units in Ohana Self Storage suffered smoke damage and need to be completely cleaned out.