UPDATE: Wailea, Maui – Fire investigators have set damages at this afternoon’s fire on Malina Place in Maui Meadows at $65, 000 to the building and $10,000 to contents.

Investigators were not able to speak to the injured homeowner to determine what actions were being taken when the explosion and fire occured. The fire has been classified as accidental and was related to the homeowner’s use of the propane fed barbecue grill on the 2nd floor outdoor lanai.

The man was on the lanai and near the barbecue grill when the propane gas ignited and injured the homeowner. The man’s tenant heard the gas explosion and rushed to his aid. The tenant used a fire extinguisher to combat the fire but flames were still seen coming from the portable propane tank. It was the propane gas that ignited. The propane tank did not rupture.

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A 73-year-old Maui man was in critical condition today after a propane barbecue grill he was using apparently exploded.

The homeowner was using the grill on the lanai when something exploded and started a fire at about 1:20 p.m., said Maui Fire Department spokesman Edward Taomoto.

A tenant on the property used a fire extinguisher to slow down the fire and brought the homeowner out to the lawn. The homeowner used a garden hose to keep the fire from spreading to the roof.

Taomoto said the homeowner sustained burns to his arms and face and was taken in critical condition to Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Firefighters responding to the fire on Malina Place in Maui Meadows knocked down the flames shortly after arriving and contained the fire to the lanai, Taomoto said. The fire was extinguished at 4:35 p.m.

A cause and a damage estimate were under investigation.