A house burned down in Palolo late Tuesday morning.

Eleven fire companies with 37 personnel responded to the two-alarm blaze at 3040 Lai Road.

Fire Capt. David Jenkins said the homeowner, who escaped the 10:42 a.m. blaze unharmed, reported he had a large amount of ammunition and several dozen propane tanks in the home.

Firefighters did not enter the house and kept a safe distance from possible explosions, instead utilizing the Fire Department’s helicopter to make water drops.

“The odd part (about fighting this fire) was the water drops,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the home is considered a total loss. Investigators have not yet determined a cause.

Neighbors said they were unaware that 78-year-old Roy Masuoka, the homeowner, possessed a large amount of ammunition.

Cid Inouye, 58, said Masuoka lived alone along the one-lane road in a heavily vegetated area that is part of the Palolo agricultural subdivision deep in Palolo Valley.

Masuoka works at the neighborhood gas station, Inouye said.

The firetruck drivers had to maneuver up the narrow road but, due to a weight limitation, were unable to cross a small bridge about 1,000 yards from the home, Jenkins said.

Masuoka met the fire companies along the road and informed them of the ammunition and propane and butane tanks.

After the blaze was under control, firefighters brought up fire hoses to extinguish the fire.

Firefighters used smaller utility trucks to bring 2,500 feet of fire hose to the house from a fire hydrant.

“They had to take the hose from the truck and bring it up and stretch it out, piece by piece, for the overhaul,” Jenkins said.

“When it comes to accessibility such as this, the Fire Department is a strong proponent of residential fire sprinkler systems,” he said. “It puts the fire out before it becomes big.”

Inouye said, “My house has sprinklers but most don’t.”

Neighbor Rick Ralston said the private roadway has two community waterlines but that one is disconnected.

“There’s no water for fighting fire,” he said.

Ralston said he was joking with firefighters and Masuoka about roasting marshmallows, unaware that Masuoka’s house was on fire.

“It’s sad,” he said.