Five men were killed in an explosion at a business-storage facility in Waikele, Hawaii, on April 8.
Firefighters responded to HIDC Small Business Storage to put out a reported car fire. When they arrived, flames seemed to have ignited fireworks, which the local fire department had authorized in the past to be stored at the facility. Investigators have yet to determine an official cause of the accident.
Four men in their 20s and one man in his 50s were killed. Six men in all were at the scene. KFVE-TV reported 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. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, authorities plan to investigate the company and its safety practices to learn more about what happened during the explosion.
HIDC Small Business Storage is composed of 130 underground storage bunkers that have been converted into small warehouses. Waikele is located on the island of O'ahu.
Sources:
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Ordnance Company Faces Investigation
- KFVE: 4 Dead, 1 Critical Following Waikele Industrial Explosion
