[5] A previous fire in 2013 caused $1.1 million in property damage to two apartments, but no injuries were reported.

A fourth victim, who lived 6 floors above the origin of the blaze, had been hospitalized due to smoke inhalation, but died 20 days later on August 3.

[5][17][18] In fact, after a 2013 fire, the Marco Polo building's association obtained an estimate of $8,000 per condo for installation of sprinklers.

[17] Both Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Hawai'i state senator Glenn Wakai voiced support for sprinkler installation in older high-rises.

[17] In response to the Marco Polo fire, the City and County of Honolulu enacted Ordinance 18–14 in May 2018, which requires all buildings ten stories or higher to conduct a safety evaluation and retrofit necessary improvements or retrofit automatic sprinklers.