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Fire that injured firefighter started by downed power line

GREGG KAKESAKO / GKAKESAKO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Firefighters extinguish a garage fire near Laniakea Beach which one neighbor believes was started when lightning struck a transformer knocking down a power line. A firefighter was taken to the hospital in "stable" condition.

A June 3 fire at a Haleiwa home that injured a firefighter was started when a 7,000-volt electrical power line fell, touched a garage flood lamp and charged portions of the garage with electricity, Honolulu Fire Department investigators said Thursday.

"It instantly energized that wire and caused it to probably arc and ignite the wooden components of the siding and the framing so the fire started in the back corner of the garage from this energized electrical line which was energized from the outside in, rather than the inside out," said Capt. Terry Seelig, Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighter Kamaki Worthington, a 10-year veteran, was hospitalized after he was shocked while battling the blaze. Seelig said it’s not entirely clear how he got shocked. Worthington has been cleared to returned to work, Seelig said.

The home, located near Laniakea Beach, sustained about $210,000 in damage to its structure and contents.

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