Area residents suspect a man who had allegedly set multiple fires at an abandoned Nanakuli home he lived in is responsible for starting a blaze Tuesday that destroyed the structure and damaged neighboring homes.

The Honolulu Fire Department is investigating the cause of the three-alarm fire after responding at about 3:45 a.m. with 15 units and 48 firefighters. The single-­story structure at 87-212 Mikana St. was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived, also causing significant damage to a two-story home next door owned by Macatulong and Loreta Pacleb.

Their grandson Taj Pacleb, 34, said his family of eight escaped as flames licked the side of their residence. Loreta Pacleb, 83, sustained minor burns to her right arm.

It was the second time firefighters had been dispatched to the address in less than 24 hours. A small fire at the same property was extinguished by crews at about 11:30 a.m. Monday.

Gina Melchor, who lives next door on the makai side of the abandoned structure, said she was sleeping when her sister-in-law alerted her and other family members Tuesday. The Melchors grabbed a garden hose to wet the house down and threw buckets of water toward the raging fire.

Neighbors say the suspected arsonist who lived in the abandoned home had previously set at least eight fires on the property. Area residents pointed to a charred vehicle fronting the property that was set ablaze within the last couple of months.

Numerous calls have been made to police concerning the property and the squatter. Often, they said, it would lead to the man’s arrest and release from custody soon after. Neighbors say they had also contacted area lawmakers to complain about the structure’s dilapidated conditions to no avail.

Macatulong Pacleb, 82, a retired carpenter who built the family’s two-story home, said the perpetrator responsible for the fire needs to be imprisoned before he sets more fires.

HFD spokesman Capt. Scot Seguirant said firefighters brought the fire under control just before 4:20 a.m. and extinguished it at 4:53 a.m. Damage to the abandoned home was estimated at $300,000 to the structure and $5,000 to its contents.

The American Red Cross responded to assist neighbors affected by the blaze.