Many will be observing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday, but Jan. 20 also marks the 125th anniversary of the Chinatown fires here on Oʻahu.
The blaze was set in response to the outbreak of the bubonic plague, and it started with the burning of one building a day — but the fire burned out of control and wiped out 16 blocks. That time in history is acknowledged in a collection of poems by Wing Tek Lum.
The Conversation talked to him about a new book titled “The Oldtimers.” It's his third collection of poems, and a section is dedicated to life imagined during the great fire. His grandfather owned a store that burned.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Jan. 17, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
