Iwilei Fire and Evacuation

The Honolulu Advertiser ran this article on December 8, 1941.

A Honolulu Gas Co. tank at Iwilei was aflame at 11:40 this morning. The fire was extinguished at 12:57 p. m. and generation of gas resumed. E. S. Jones, chief engineer of the company, said workers had two hours to fight the flames before there would be danger of explosion. About 30 men played their hoses on the tanks and Mr. Jones said that they would attempt to put out the blaze with water pressure. Hoses were to be concentrated on the opening in the top of the tank and by the concentrated pressure attempt to put out the fire. Mr. Jones said that it was not a bomb but probably shrapnel that hit the tank.

The flames of the gas tank could be seen for blocks. The fire was centered in a storage tank, and gas was shooting up through the hole. Once the fire department arrived, employees (including women) from the Gas Company volunteered to carry sandbags to the top of the tank. One man remembers, “We built a dike around the hole and filled it with water and foam to extinguish the fire.”

The Iwilei area was a heavily industrialized area, and the railroad terminal and gas storage tanks were considered to be vulnerable to subsequent Japanese attacks. On Saturday, December 13, 1941, 1,500 people were ordered to evacuate their Iwilei homes by the following Monday. Many of the residents were (local Hawaii)Japanese.

When Honolulu social workers arrived to assist the families with relocation, they found many in panic. Some believed that the military police would shoot them if they were not out by morning.

There were also the issues of storing and disposing of the residents' belongings, the care of the aged and ill, and the handling of pets. Persons who had no place to go were sheltered at Kaiulani School until further arrangements were made. Some evacuees ended up at Kalakaua Homes (a just-completed low-income family housing project.)

The final order to evacuate was proclaimed on December 19, 1941.


PHOTO: I couldn't find a photo of the Honolulu Gas fire. This is a photo of private residents in the McCully area.