Honolulu firefighters mourn loss of one of their own in McCully fire
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Honolulu Fire Department is grieving the death of a 25-year-old firefighter following a three-alarm building fire in McCully Monday night.
Fire Chief Sheldon “Kalani” Hao identified the firefighter who died as Jeffrey Fiala. He had been with the department for a year and a half, Hao said.
Fiala is a 2017 graduate of Radford High School and 2021 University of Hawaii graduate. He joined the department in January 2023, and went into the field March of last year.
“He served with honor and courage,” Hao said. “When I speak to everyone that had the opportunity to be around Jeff, the common denominator is just his enthusiasm, his love for the job, just the energy that he brought to work every day. Everyone just loved to be around him.”
Fiala is survived by his wife, Fiona, and his parents, Michael and Kristine, the department said.
“This tragedy is truly heartbreaking for all of us,” Hao said. “As firefighters, we know the risks of our job, but we continue to run towards danger knowing that we are helping people in need.
“We all train our to be our very best with the goal of ultimately everyone home, getting home safely at the end of the day, and as you can imagine, that’s what makes this very difficult for our HFD ohana,” Hao said.
Four other firefighters who were injured in the blaze are expected to be discharged from the Queen’s Medical Center Tuesday, Hao said.
Hao said peer support teams are reaching out to every station to check on department employees.
“We will continue to support everyone that has been affected with by this event in the hope of honoring Jeff and how he served our community,” Hao said.
PREVIOUS STORY: Firefighter killed, 5 others hurt in 3-alarm McCully building fire
The Kakaako fire station is currently being staffed by firefighters from neighboring stations.
Fiala’s death has also impacted the community, both friends and strangers alike; his former college photography teacher, Phil Jung, is among those heartbroken.
“I can’t even really wrap my head around it,” he said. “The fire department makes sense to me as far as him wanting to be there to help the community and do whatever he could, you know, to be there for people when they needed him and that’s the way he was as a student.”
A memorial continues to grow in front of the two-story residential building on Young Street, just off Punahou Street, where the fire broke out.
As for the investigation into how all of this unfolded, Hao said the department will meet Wednesday with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine exactly what happened and “to look for ways that if there’s things that could be improved, what we can do to implement any kind changes that is recommended.”
Fiala is the 24th firefighter statewide to die in the line of duty.
Maui lost Tre' Evans-Dumaran, 24, in February 2023 when he was sucked through a storm drain in Kihei and swept out to sea.
Oahu’s last fallen firefighter was Clifford Rigsbee, 63. He died in June 2016 after a training exercise in rough surf off Diamond Head.
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