A fire that spread through the upper floors of a large high-rise apartment complex in Honolulu claimed the lives of at least three people Friday. As the Associated Press reports, the fire began on the 26th floor at the Marco Polo apartments near Waikiki and spread to the 28th floor, and many units nearby were inundated with smoke.

Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves confirmed to the AP that three people had been found dead on the 26th floor, and 12 people sought medical attention, but they were continuing to search the 568-unit building. The fire reached four alarms and burned over at least two hours.

According to KGO-TV in San Francisco, "Debris falling from the building caused secondary fires on other floors."

This fire comes just a month after a devastating high-rise fire in London that killed at least 79 people has caused worry worldwide about fire hazards in high-rise buildings.

As the LA Times reports, according to firefighters and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, there were reports of people trapped in their units, and the 1971-built building reportedly lacked a sprinkler system. Some residents who tried to evacuate by climbing above the fire say the building's hallways were filled with thick black smoke.

“I feel worried, concerned and a little angry,” said Marco Polo resident Patrick Williamson to the AP. Williamson lives on the 32nd floor and evacuated with his two sons, aged 10 and 12, when they smelled smoke. “For the fire to get this out of control is a little suspicious. Either the fire department was late in response or there was something going on in that unit. Either way one wonders what happened and I feel a little bit less secure living in the building," he said.

We'll update this story as we learn more.

Update: USA Today reports that an 85-year-old woman and her adult son were among the dead in Friday's fire. Four people who were hospitalized with injuries remain in serious condition, including one firefighter, and at least eight others sustained injuries.

One resident of the building reports that there had been a previous fire there in 2013, after which, briefly, the management conducted fire drills.