Several families are spending the night away from home after an afternoon fire. Just before 1:00pm a fire broke out inside a bottom floor unit of an apartment building near Ala Moana Center.
The 10-unit apartment complex was evacuated and no one was injured.
Officials say it was the clutter inside the home, not the blaze itself that made the fight a challenge. Firefighters say they could barely get thru the front door.
The Honolulu Fire Department says an overly cluttered home makes it extremely difficult for people to get out quickly and emergency crews to get in. But experts say excess clutter is more than just a safety issue.
"In a commercial situation this wouldn’t have been allowed," said Capt. Terry Seelig, HFD.
When first responders arrived to Thursday’s fire on Kahakai Drive crews discovered the doors and windows of this unit blocked and officials say the clutter made it hard to reach the fire from the inside.
"This whole unit was filled with anything and everything you can imagine," said Capt. Seelig.
Investigators later determined the blaze began in a back bedroom.
"All our stuff is gone, everything is gone," said the units tenant, Mike.
Mike and his wife were not home when the fire broke out. they have lived in the unit since 1996.
"Clothes, collectibles, I had about oh $500-$600 of model cars," said Mike.
Neighboring units also sustained smoke damage, but no one was injured.
"I’m kind of not surprised that a fire finally broke out because it looked like a fire hazard to me," said neighbor Toni Perez.
"OK something started by the window, it’s not because of our valuables in the house, OK, that’s not what started the fire," said Mike.
Those coping with excessive clutter say it’s more common than most people are aware of.
"It’s dangerous to relationships, it can squash the life out of you," says Tom Moore, http://www.clutterstompers.com/
Moore is managing his hoarding addiction.
"It’s hard to get statistics because this is a kind of addiction, as opposed to overweight, that you can hide and people try desperately to hide," he says.
For that reason Moore started the support group "Clutter Stompers".
"Hoarding addiction is recognized in the medical community, mental health community, there are treatments," says Moore.
He says getting help can mean the difference between life and death – especially in a fire.
Fire officials say if they’re notified of a potential fire hazard due to hoarding they can request entry into a home, and in some cases issue a notice of violation.
"There is government regulation that can be implemented to say even though it is your own home, it’s now a hazard to the community," said Capt. Terry Seelig.
Fire officials say the cause of the blaze is undetermined at this time.
Damage to the entire apartment complex and contents is estimated at $225,000.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
