A kitchen fire at a Keeaumoku Street apartment Tuesday afternoon displaced a family of five people.
One adult, who was home at the time of the blaze, got out safely, but a 67-year-old female neighbor was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The Fire Department got the call at 3:46 p.m. for a fire on the fifth floor of Matlock Hale, 1326 Keeaumoku St. Nine fire companies and 34 personnel responded, said fire Capt. David Jenkins.
The first company was on scene at 3:51 p.m. The fire was brought under control at 4 p.m. and was extinguished at 4:11 p.m.
The cause of the fire was determined to be unattended cooking.
Damage was estimated at $25,000, and the Red Cross is assisting the family.
Maui house fire is blamed on AC
Maui firefighters responded to a Tuesday morning blaze at a home in Waiehu and found the air conditioner on fire.
The room was being used as a business office, the Maui County Fire Department said in a news release.
A woman was home at the time and smelled smoke. She evacuated after finding the air conditioner on fire, the department said.
The fire broke out at 11:12 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters arrived at 11:21 a.m. and saw smoke coming from the back of the house. Fire crews contained the fire in four minutes to the room of origin and extinguished it at 12:50 p.m.
The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to the structure and $20,000 in damage to its contents. No one was injured.
Crews to work on Koloa Road
Kauai County is making safety improvements to Koloa Road.
Officials said the project is expected to be completed by the start of September.
Over the next six to seven weeks, officials said, there will be intermittent lane closures on Koloa Road from Omao Road to approximately a half-mile west of the intersection to allow excavation work to take place. Road widening and guardrail system installations will follow.
Work hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Other work includes the installation of pavement markings and rumble strips, and the replacement of signs on a 2.7-mile stretch of Koloa Road.
