Northwest Maui house destroyed by fire

Fire destroyed a house in Kahakuloa late Sunday afternoon, causing $550,000 in structural damage, Maui fire officials said Monday.

According to a Maui Fire Department report, three fire companies and three water tankers responding to a 5:38 p.m. call found the structure, located near mile marker 6 on Kahekili Highway, engulfed in flames. The fire was brought under control by about 6:40 p.m. and extinguished at 11:30 p.m.

A narrow driveway and overgrown foliage made it difficult for crews to get access to the fire, fire officials said, and the area has no fire hydrants, so the Fire Department helicopter was brought in to provide water drops on the home and in the event flames spread to nearby brush.

The fire also caused $5,000 in damage to the home’s contents.

Fire investigators were unable to determine the fire’s cause.

Fire damages Haiku saddle-repair shed

Maui firefighters extinguished a fire that caused $3,000 in structural damage to a shed that housed a saddle-repair workshop on Awalau Road in Haiku early Monday.

Firefighters arrived at the scene at 12:36 a.m. and found residents using garden hoses to control flames coming from the shed. Firefighters brought the fire under control within three minutes, and extinguished it at 1:06 a.m.

Residents living at the front of the property were awakened by crackling and popping sounds coming from the fire, fire officials said. Damage to the contents of the 20-by-40 foot shed was estimated at $7,000.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.