Fire destroys 3-bedroom house in Waianae
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
HFD investigators work the aftermath at the site of a house fire today in Waianae.
The Honolulu Fire Department is investigating the cause of a fire today that destroyed a three-bedroom house in Waianae.
The lone occupant, a woman in her 30s, was able to escape the 11:30 a.m. blaze at 85-403 Pulapula Place, but the house was a total loss. There were no injuries.
The estimated damage was $527,000 to the property and $30,000 to the contents, officials said.
On the scene were 13 units and 64 firefighters who were able to prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring homes.
Crews arrived at 11:42 a.m. to find the single-story home engulfed in smoke and flames. With fire shooting out of every part of the structure, the back of the house collapsed and firefighters began working in a defensive mode, utilizing hand lines and a deck gun, after securing a water supply, officials said.
Meanwhile, a search of the house confirmed no one was inside. The occupant told firefighters that after she fled her own home, she warned her neighbors.
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The department said firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to two adjacent properties, but there was exposure damage to one of the neighboring properties.
Officials said they couldn’t determine if smoke alarms were in the house, but there was no sprinkler system.
The blaze was under control at 12:03 p.m. and extinguished at 12:53 p.m., the department said.
