Two women in their 20s managed to escape a fire at a Portlock house early Tuesday morning that caused an estimated $360,000 in damage.
Honolulu Fire Department investigators were unable to determine the cause or the origin of the blaze, calling the home a total loss, said acting spokesman Kendall Ching. No injuries were reported.
A 79-year-old retired Honolulu firefighter, who lives on the mauka side of the burning house, jumped into action during the fire, using a garden hose to try to douse flames.
"I heard this crackling sound this morning," said Howard Enos, who served with the Fire Department from 1966 to 1986. "I thought it was firecrackers. I looked out the door and all of a sudden it got bright. I opened this door and (saw) all these flames."
He added: "My sister came out, and we started to shoot the hose. I could see the flames coming out from the back bedroom. The flames were coming over the fence."
Nine fire companies, comprising 35 firefighters, responded to the 6:07 a.m. fire at 578 Poipu Drive. The first company was on scene at 6:13 a.m., and reported heavy smoke and flames emanating from the structure, which was 75 percent involved in fire.
The blaze was under control at 6:27 a.m. and extinguished at 6:48 a.m.
Fire Department spokesman Kevin Mokulehua said that just before the fire was extinguished, the structure’s shaky integrity prompted the incident commander to order everyone out.
Damage to the structure was estimated at $280,000 and damage to contents at $80,000, he said.
Enos said: "The place is completely gutted. By the time they (firefighters) arrived, the house was gutted."
The home’s occupants said the fire may have been ignited by holiday decorations, according to neighbors.
"I think they thought it was the Christmas tree — the lights," said neighbor Joanne Gleason, 34, who lives with her husband and dog in a cottage on the property makai of the burned home.
She said after spotting the fast-moving fire shortly after 6 a.m., firefighters were "very quick" to arrive, but by that time "the whole house had gone up."
Gleason said after she and her husband woke to yelling, they jumped out of bed and took care of their dog and a neighbor’s dog, whose owner was not at home. They also moved cars away from the burning house.
The outer walls of the single-family home appeared to be built of brick and the roof appeared to be ceramic tile. "If the house was wood, I think it would be on the ground," Enos said. "It was just so fast."
