Wednesday, January 1, 2025 78° Today’s Paper
By Star-Advertiser staff
Today • Last updated 5:07 p.m.
Crime in HawaiiEditors’ Picks
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Honolulu police chief Arthur “Joe” Logan reacts today while visiting the aftermath of a fireworks explosion on Keaka Drive that killed at least three people and injured 20 after a lit cake firework tipped onto its side and shot into a nearby garage, igniting a cache of other fireworks and causing a large explosion.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
An investigator examines the scene of the deadly fireworks explosion on Keaka Drive in Aiiamanu this morning.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Gov. Josh Green views the scene of the deadly fireworks explosion on Keaka Drive in Aiiamanu this morning.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARADVERTISER.COM
Gov. Josh Green speaks at a news conference at HPD headquarters today about the fireworks blast that killed three people and injured over two dozen in Aliamanu around midnight.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARADVERTISER.COM
Gov. Josh Green speaks at a news conference at HPD headquarters today about the fireworks blast that killed three people and injured over two dozen in Aliamanu around midnight.
UPDATE: 4:45 p.m.
Three women were killed and about two dozen people were injured at an Aliamanu home when a “cake bomb” filled with illegal aerial fireworks set off massive explosions at 12:01 a.m. at a large New Year’s Eve party.
At an afternoon news conference at the Honolulu Police Department’s headquarters, Gov. Josh Green, Mayor Rick Blangiardi and leaders of city agencies repeatedly used words like “horrific,” “gruesome,” and “a war zone” to describe the chaotic “mass casualty” event that first responders found when they arrived 4137 Keaka Drive just after midnight.
“It was a bomb. It was a fireworks bomb. It was a bomb that exploded,” Green said. He said a person lit a “cake bomb,” which contained multiple aerials, that tipped over and fired the explosives into the home’s carport, igniting a huge cache of other fireworks.
Two women were dead at the scene while a third in her early 20s died later at a hospital, officials said.
Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said 23 adults and 3 children critical or serious injuries.
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Dr. Jim Ireland, director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, said the transported patients were “mostly critical” and taken to hospitals across Oahu, while an unknown number of other less-severely injured people self-transported to the hospital.
Green said he expected that there will be one or two children under the age of 10 who will be permanently disfigured or die from their injuries. He later described two children, ages 1 and 3, who were severely injured.
A total of 13 city and federal ambulances made 14 trips to hospitals as first responders set up a triage area to prioritize the most seriously injured, Ireland said. The triage area had to be set up several houses away from the home because the street was so clogged with cars that first responders had a hard time accessing the blast site, he said.
“I’m very proud of our team” for its life-saving response under difficult circumstances but “it’s a very sad day for me. … This didn’t have to happen. … I never want to see this again,” he said.
Honolulu Fire Department Chief Kalani Hao said one woman who was found dead at the scene was in the driveway of the home and the other was on the street.
“It really looked like a war zone and like a bomb dropped right in front of that house,” he said.
Logan said, “Very bad, poor decision-making” by members of our community caused this tragedy. “This is a systemic problem that is cultural,” and police enforcement alone cannot solve it, he said.
He also said police recovered “tens of thousands of dollars” worth of illegal fireworks from the home.
No arrests have been made and HPD and HFD are investigating the incident.
“ATF did assist HPD this morning. We are standing by to support again if requested,” Jason Chudy, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Seattle Field Division, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Both Blangiardi and Green expressed frustration with the prevalence of illegal aerial fireworks in Hawaii, and said they are determined to make major changes to curb their use.
“Enough is enough. This situation is out of control,” Blangiardi said, adding, “This is horrific. This needs to be a seminal moment” for the community to finally deter the use of illegal aerial fireworks.
Green echoed the sentiment.
The governor, a medical doctor, emphasized that injuries were gruesome and extensive, with organic (brain) matter splattered on car and house windows across the street from the blast. He said the public needs to understand how gruesome this event was so that changes can be made to cut the use of illegal fireworks in Hawaii.
People were still shooting off aerials several houses down as the medics were driving by to save lives, Green said.
“I hope people wake up. … This is clearly a threat. … This is a threat to public safety and health.”
Green asked people with remaining fireworks from New Year’s to “please pause” and not set them off in the coming days. He also said the state will have an amnesty program for people to drop off illegal fireworks.
The governor said he will be working with the state Legislature to address curbing illegal fireworks in Hawaii. Penalties are going to have to become “very, very severe” to deter the use of illegal aerial fireworks, he said, calling for possession of over 50-pounds of illegal fireworks to be elevated to a Class C felony with a 5-year prison term and a $10,000 fine.
In addition to the three deaths at Aliamanu, a fourth person died from fireworks-related injuries in Kalihi overnight. HPD said at 11:05 p.m., officers and EMS responded to a 20-year-old man with critical fireworks-related injuries. He was treated and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 12:30 a.m.
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By Peter Boylan / pboylan@staradvertiser.com
At least three people are dead and over 20 wounded after a fireworks cache exploded around midnight in Aliamanu.
Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said personnel responded at 12:01 a.m.today to Keaka Drive to an explosion with “multiple patients injured from an apparent firework blast. Multiple ambulance crews and Field Operations Supervisors responded. Paramedics on scene were able to identify a total of 22 patients.”
“Of the 22 patients, 2 were pronounced dead on scene and 20 were transported in serious or critical condition to various hospitals throughout the island,” according to EMS.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi issued a written statement this morning saying that “at least three people” were killed.
“It is with both frustration and sorrow that I address the tragedy that occurred last night in Salt Lake just after midnight on New Year’s Eve,” he said. “A massive explosion caused by what appears to be illegal fireworks claimed at least three lives and left over 20 others critically injured. This incident is a painful reminder of the danger posed by illegal fireworks, which put lives at risk, drain our first responder resources, and disrupt our communities.”
Honolulu police and firefighters also responded to the explosion.
The Honolulu Police Department said in a social media post at 1:45 am., “Major Incident in the Salt Lake area. This is a fireworks-related incident with multiple casualties. HPD, HFD, and EMS are on the scene providing care and security. Please avoid the area,” read a tweet from the Honolulu Police Department at 1:45 am.
HPD told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser early this morning that the casualty numbers are not confirmed and investigators remained at the scene on Keaka Drive.
Honolulu Fire Department officials said in a news released that they received a 911 call at 11:59 p.m. and responded to a medical emergency at 4137 Keaka Drive in Aliamanu with one unit and four personnel.
“The first unit arrived on scene at 12:07 a.m., at the same time as Emergency Medical Services, to find multiple people injured due to a fireworks explosion at the exterior of the residence. An additional eight HFD units were requested.
“HFD personnel found that there was no fire, assessed the structure, conducted a search and assisted EMS with patient triage, treatment and transport to the awaiting ambulance units. Tragically, there were two fatalities.”
HFD said the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the displaced resident and that an investigation has begun to determine the cause of the explosion and to provide damage estimates.
In other fireworks-related incidents around midnight, EMS said crews responded:
>> To Lukela Lane in Kalihi at 11:04 p.m. Tuesday for a 19-year-old man with “multiple traumatic injuries, including a severe arm injury, from a suspected firework blast.” He was treated and taken in critical condition to a hospital.
>> At 11:27 p.m. for a patient who suffered a traumatic hand injury from a suspected fireworks blast. The patient had been driven to a Honolulu Fire Department station in Nanakuli where paramedics treated him then took him in serious condition to a hospital.
>> To Linapuni Street in Kalihi at 12:04 a.m for a male who suffered an extensive hand injury from “an apparent firework explosion.” Paramedics treated him and transported him in serious condition to a trauma center.
>> At 12:06 a.m to Kuhia Place in Ewa where a 59-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man suffered “minor burn injuries to their legs in a firework-related incident.” Paramedics treated the patients and took them in minor condition to a hospital.
Darlena Chadwick, the Queen’s Health Systems executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement today, “Our Queen’s-Punchbowl, West Oahu, and Wahiawa Emergency Departments received and cared for nearly 40 fireworks-related injuries last night and this morning. Our doctors, nurses, and ancillary staff worked tirelessly together last night and this morning to accommodate all patients who needed care. Due to State and Federal privacy laws and regulations we are unable to comment on specific incidents or patients. We express our deepest sympathies to those impacted by these horrible incidents.”
In his statement, Blangiardi said, “Year after year, a minority of individuals recklessly endanger us all. This is absurd and unacceptable. My administration remains committed to working with federal and state agencies to shut down this illegal firework trade once and for all. We will push for stronger enforcement, tougher penalties, new technologies, and a united effort to stop the import of illegal fireworks.
“Our communities deserve better. We cannot allow this senseless danger to persist, and we will take decisive action to ensure the safety and well-being of Oahu residents.”
In a separate statement, Gov. Josh Green offered condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed, and expressed his gratitude to EMS, HPD and HFD for acting “swiftly and heroically to provide care under extremely difficult circumstances.”
“Because combating illegal fireworks has been a priority, we established the Illegal Fireworks Task Force in 2023 to identify and disrupt supply chains,” Green said. “It has seized 227,000 pounds of illegal fireworks to date, but incidents like this remind us of the ongoing challenges we face.
“We must continue to work together to prevent tragedies. I urge residents to report illegal activity and to prioritize safety. My administration remains committed to protecting our communities and preventing further loss.”
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