Construction
The Kona Village apartment building was completed in 1971 of frame construction with a low-angle
pitched roof with composition shingles. The outside dimensions of the structure were 270 feet by
320 feet. The building was almost completely constructed of wood; floor, roof, and structural
members. The foundation was concrete. A protective coating of asbestos was sprayed on the ceiling
of the kitchens and the garage areas. (The discovery of asbestos was made during the overhaul stage
and presented a troublesome challenge to the fire department). The address front, on the north face,
consisted of a two-story portion with a 20-foot wide center walkway providing access to the interior
courtyard. The rental office was located in the first apartment on the ground floor just to the right of
the walkway. The courtyard included a swimming pool and associated buildings.
The rest of the building (east, south, and west wings) consisted of three stories of wood-framed
construction (built over a first floor of concrete block) joined to form a square. The ground floor of
each unit in this section contained occupant parking units, laundry rooms, and storage rooms. The
upper three floors were apartment units of identical configuration stacked vertically. The
kitchen/bathroom utility shafts abutted one another on each floor. Access to the interior courtyard
from the parking lot consisted of open walkways or “breezeways” approximately six feet wide. There
were ten of these breezeways spaced around the three four-story wings.
Exit paths
The exits consisted of six-foot walkways from the apartment entrances around the circumference of
the interior courtyard leading to stairs. The walkways were made of wooden 3-by-8-inch tongue-ingroove
boards over 4-by-12-inch beams covered with indoor/outdoor carpeting. Several firefighters
reporting seeing this carpeting burning vigorously.
Access to the second and third floors was by means of a combination of open stairways, closed
stairwells, and elevators. One open stairway was located at each corner of the wings and four were
spaced on the north block.
The partially closed stairwells extended from ground to roof and had 12-by-8-foot interior
dimensions.
A total of four closed stairwells served the east, south, and west wings. All of the stairways were
totally of wooden construction. The elevators were built on the east and west blocks near the corner
of the south block. The elevator enclosures were wood-framed construction boxed around the
elevator structure and machinery.
Fire Protection Systems
The building was equipped with smoke detectors in individual units that were not linked to a building
system. There was no master alarm/pull station or central alarm system.
There were no sprinklers or other active fire suppression systems. Fire extinguishers were located in
boxes on each floor. Six standpipe outlets were located in the west, east and south blocks with 100
feet of 1 ½-inch hose and nozzle in each. These were piped to the domestic water system via a 1-inch line with no fire department supply connection. (At least two of these were used by residents at the
fire, but were obviously ineffective at suppressing the blaze.)
Building Code
The building was constructed under the 1967 building code, the 21st edition of the Life Safety Code
of the Uniform Building Code.
The complex was occupied in June 1971 and the complex had been in operation continuously since
then with no major renovations.
Inspection History and Violations
After a fire in 1986 that identified shortcomings in the fire stopping in the attic, the city fire marshal
submitted a letter to the building owners. The letter expressed concerns over the condition of the
building, especially the lack of sufficient fire stopping and alarm system.
In 1994 the city sent another letter to the building owners requesting consideration of fire sprinklers
in the Kona Village apartment building. The owner reportedly verbally refused to consider this
request, and the city believed it did not have the authority to enforce such a request. The issue was
not pursued.
The building had been inspected within the last two years with no major code violations or
infractions. It was due for routine fire inspection during the month of November 1997.
Occupancy
The Kona Village Apartments attracted a variety of residents, but included a high concentration of
elderly people on pensions or other fixed income. A substantial number of these people had limited
mobility and required prosthetic devices or aids to walk. One of the rescuers spoke of people exiting
“in their walkers, crutches, and wheelchairs” from the upper floors. Most of these residents had been
at the Kona Village project for many years.
Many of the tenants, however, were younger couples employed in heavy industry, such as the nearby
ship repair and support industry. Other residents were employed by the armed forces especially the
U. S. Navy, which has extensive presence in the area.
Social Environment
The Kona Village complex was a very desirable rental location due to three main factors. First was
the relatively low rental cost per month. The age of the complex was a factor permitting this
reasonable and stable rent over the years. Kona Village was an especially attractive location for those
on fixed incomes. The second factor was the building's reputation as a well-maintained occupancy. It
was known in the area as a safe, clean place to live. The tenure of many of the occupants served to
perpetuate a sense of community and security. The third factor was the picturesque view the
apartment afforded by being on the highest point in the area. To the south was Mt. Rainier and to the
west were the Olympic Mountains. The area has one of the most desirable vistas in the west Puget
Basin area.
Units on the higher floors had the more desirable view and were acquired on a seniority basis. This
practice placed more of the elderly residents on the upper floors. The building was situated in a
working class neighborhood of single family homes at the intersection of two major residential streets.
A church, a school, the city water authority office, and Bremerton Fire Station 3 were all within 3000
feet of the complex.
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