Tenants displaced Tuesday morning after a fire destroyed a Makaha house are now sheltered nearby in a tent.
Rosemarie Pascubillo, whose 25-year-old son was living in the house with others who have undergone substance abuse rehabilitation, said tenants have been staying in a large tent in the homeowner’s front yard down the street for now. She said she is working with her son to figure out his next steps.
Pascubillo said she had just arrived at work Tuesday morning when she received a frantic call about the fire from her son, who had lived in the home for about three months and paid about $250 per month in rent. She said the American Red Cross provided the tenants with about $100 to $125 each in assistance.
“As soon as I answered (my phone), he said, ‘My house is on fire! My house is burning!’” she said Wednesday. “He’s kind of shaken up. I think he was the last person to get out of the house. They woke him up.”
Firefighters responded to a 5:10 a.m. fire on the 84-800 block of Lahaina Street, where a single-story, six-bedroom home was engulfed in flames. The 21 tenants inside at the time were able to evacuate.
There were a total of 22 people living in the house, Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins said, describing it as a “clean and sober” house. Paramedics treated a 59-year-old man who sustained second-degree burns to his arm and transported him to a hospital in serious condition. The fire was under control by 5:52 a.m.
The fire damaged adjacent homes on four sides where six additional people, three men and three women, were displaced. HFD is investigating the cause of the fire, which caused about $422,000 in damage to the building and $25,000 to its contents. Damage to the surrounding structures and at least two vehicles was estimated at $155,000, Jenkins said.
Pascubillo is collecting clothing, food, mattresses and other supplies for the tenants today and Friday on the second floor of 738 Kaheka St. from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“They don’t have anything there. They lost everything,” she said. “My son really liked that house. I noticed in that house his attitude is better.”
According to the city Department of Planning and Permitting, there are no violations or complaints on file for the property. The department said it was not aware of a group living facility operating on the property.
The city’s Land Use Ordinance allows for up to five unrelated people to live in a residence, eight if the home is licensed and monitored by the state. More than eight would require a conditional-use permit for a group living facility, which DPP does not have on file for the property.
The American Red Cross Hawaii chapter said it provided financial assistance to 15 men and five women and gave the landlord contact information for further assistance for tenants not there at the time.
The organization also planned to send health services volunteers to follow up with prescription assistance.
