77
A person welding in a patio workshop unintentionally caused a fire that destroyed one home and damaged another Wednesday night in Salt Lake, Honolulu fire investigators said.
The fire began shortly before 6:30 p.m. in a covered patio used as a workshop behind the house on 4509 Likini St., said Capt. Terry Seelig, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman.
The person living in the house was using a welding torch on the frame of a mo-ped, Seelig said. He did not notice heat from the torch had radiated to combustible material in the mo-ped’s seat, which smoldered and caught fire after the man had finished his welding project and left home, he said.
The fire spread into the workshop and the house, destroying the home and heavily damaging the house next door.
Damage to the first house estimated at $380,000. A pet cat also died in the fire. Damage to the next-door house, at 4513 Likini, was estimated at $130,000.
Ten people were displaced as a result of the fire.
Seelig recommended that people using welding equipment check to ensure no fire has developed before leaving a work area. He also recommended that a fire extinguisher with a minimum 2A-20BC rating be located within 30 feet, and that the work area be monitored for at least 30 minutes.
