Fire destroys house on Garden Isle

An Anahola, Kauai, home was gutted by a fire that broke out early Monday morning, leaving a family of three and another man without a place to live.

Firefighters from the Kaiakea station were dispatched to 4223 Anahola Road at 4:50 a.m. They arrived at 4:54 a.m. to find the home engulfed in flames.

The one-story home consisted of a three-bedroom apartment and a studio, which was connected by a carport, where the fire appears to have started.

The couple and their 7-year-old son living in the main home were asleep when the fire ignited. They were able to escape without injury, but their dog died in the blaze.

The man living in the studio was not home at the time.

Fire inspectors estimate the fire caused roughly $400,000 in damage to the structure and its contents, including the tenants’ vehicles and all of their personal belongings.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross were assisting the displaced individuals.

Disabled boat towed to Keehi

The Coast Guard rescued 10 people from a disabled 50-foot sailing vessel Sunday off Kewalo Basin.

The Coast Guard got a call from the captain of the Witchdoctor II at 6:15 p.m., saying the vessel was disabled and adrift.

The vessel’s crew was attempting to return to Kewalo Basin when they saw smoke coming out of the boat’s engine compartment.

Coast Guard officials told the crew to drop anchor to avoid drifting into shallow water and to don their life jackets.

A 45-foot Coast Guard response boat from Honolulu Harbor towed the Witchdoctor II into Keehi Lagoon to prevent the vessel from running aground near Sand Island.

No injuries were reported.

The agency noted that the Coast Guard Auxiliary offers free vessel safety checks. Boats that pass inspection are awarded a distinctive decal indicating full compliance with all federal and state boating laws.

2 rescued from water off Maui

Maui firefighters were involved in a pair of rescues over the weekend.

Early on Sunday, crews responded to a report of a man in distress in the ocean in front of the Kihei Canoe Club.

According to a Fire Department news release, a 40-year-old Maui man in a kayak lost his paddle while trying to get to a sailboat moored offshore at about 12:40 a.m.

Firefighters located the man about a quarter-mile from land and brought him to shore.

On Saturday at about 10:54 a.m., firefighters from Napili and a lifeguard on a personal watercraft brought a 16-year-old paddleboarder to shore after she got into trouble about a half-mile south of Napili Point.

The 16-year-old girl from California did not need medical attention, firefighters said.