Marijuana-growing operation exposed in Waipio house fire

Residents of a quiet Wai­pio neighborhood thought it odd that they rarely, if ever, saw the occupants of a house where a noisy air conditioner ran incessantly.

Some neighbors suspected the renters — two young men who appeared to be in their 20s — didn’t live at 94-1157 Poli­nahe Place house.

After a 12:45 a.m. fire Monday at that address, police uncovered an indoor marijuana growing operation and recovered more than 100 marijuana plants — a felony-level amount. Officers also seized dirt, air filters, lights and other materials used to cultivate plants, said Lt. Stacey Kapeliela.

"We’ve never seen anyone except for people taking care of the yard," said next-door neighbor Ken Puaa. "I had no clue someone was growing marijuana next door."

Puaa’s wife awakened him to tell him about the fire, but he said he didn’t realize it was right next door until he went outside. He said he tried to open the front gate, but it was locked, so he pounded on the walls to warn anyone who might be inside.

Fire Capt. Carlton Yamada said the fire started in an electrical meter box outside of the garage and spread inside it.

The fire was caused by improper wiring to run additional circuits to the bedrooms that were used as growing rooms, fire Capt. Terry Seelig said. That and the draw from the excessive electrical load, with lights and other equipment, caused wiring to overheat and start a fire in a garage wall. Damage was estimated at $10,000.

No one was arrested Monday.

Kapeliela said conducting an inventory of the materials confiscated and sorting through the evidence will take several days.

Firefighters contained and controlled the fire within minutes, and no one was home at the time, Yamada said. The home appeared to be under renovation, he said.

A man who identified himself as the property’s manager declined comment.

Neighbors said they suspect the growers selected the house because it is in an unlikely neighborhood and allows privacy because it has no windows on one side. A new garage door and bamboo screens to obscure the front windows were recently installed, they said.

The residents say comparable homes rent for more than $2,000 a month.