Blaze ruins redwood house in Ewa Beach
A late afternoon fire Thursday in Ewa Beach displaced a family of four — a married couple, an in-law and her child — and caused an estimated $275,000 in damage to the house and its contents.
Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the three-bedroom, one-story house at 91-834 Kimopelekane Road received heavy damage but was still standing. However, the house — a single-wall, redwood structure built in the 1950s, was irreparably damaged and uninhabitable, Seelig said.
No one was home at the time, Seelig said. Firefighters brought the 4:29 p.m. fire under control at 4:48 p.m. and extinguished it by 5:07 p.m.
The family is being assisted by the Red Cross.
Investigators will return today to continue trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
Propane grill cited in Kalihi conflagration
Firefighters have determined a Kalihi Valley fire that displaced a family with eight children Monday was started by a propane grill that was left on.
Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig said a woman who had been cooking chicken thought she turned off the grill, but it wasn’t adequately shut off and started burning. Fausaga Mafi, a Kalihi Valley Neighborhood Board member, and her daughter exited the home safely. Mafi’s husband, Seluini, a Honolulu police officer, was away when the fire broke out.
Donations for the Mafi family can be made at these Hawaii Law Enforcement Federal Credit Union locations:
» Main Office: 1537 Young St., third floor
» Kapolei: 889 Kamokila Blvd.
» Pearl City: 1100 Waimano Home Road (Pearl City Police Station); 1140 Kuala St. (across from Walmart)
Please call 973-4311 for hours.
Checks should be made out to HLEFCU with "Officer Seluini Mafi & Family" written on the memo line.