A two-alarm fire destroyed an Aiea home early Friday morning and injured an 83-year-old man as he tried to save the family’s pet dogs.
The fire at 98-358 Pono St. also destroyed four vehicles in the driveway and caused superficial damage to a house next door, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman David Jenkins.
Firefighters estimated damage to the house, the contents and the vehicles at $375,000. Three people escaped, but two dogs and a parakeet died.
Seven fire companies responded to a 2:59 a.m. alarm and brought the fire under control at 3:28 a.m. It was out at 4:58 a.m.
Jenkins said an investigator determined the blaze started somewhere in the front of the house near the carport, but the cause remained under investigation.
HFD acting Capt. Craig Souza said the house was fully involved when firefighters arrived. He said firefighters used foam to knock down the blaze.
Brian Liborio, 50, who lived at the home with his parents, said he pulled his father, Robert, 83, and mother, Beatrice, 80, out through his bedroom window.
He said he was awakened by screams from his cousin, who lives down the street, yelling for the family to get out because the house was burning.
He hopped out of his window to investigate and tried using two fire extinguishers on the flames in the garage. "It was small," he said. "It wasn’t that big."
The fire extinguishers didn’t work, and a garden hose also didn’t stop the fire so he went back for his parents.
He pulled his father out first, put him on a table beneath his window and then pulled out his mother.
"My dad was in shock so he went stiff," he said. "I just literally yanked him out and threw him down to get my mom."
Liborio said his father sustained minor burns to his face while trying to save the dogs Scruffy, a Maltese, and Rex, a Chihuahua. His niece’s parakeet, Uncle Bob, also died.
Paramedics took Robert Liborio in stable condition to Tripler Army Medical Center, family said.
Beatrice Liborio, who lived in the house for more than 50 years, said the occupants will stay with family.
