Two men safely escaped a large fire that charred a two-story residence in Makaha.

Thirteen units with 41 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire at 84-139 Makau St. at 3:54 a.m. Monday. When they arrived they saw smoke and flames pouring from the garage, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Scot Seguirant in a news release.

Two men fled the home after they saw smoke. Seguirant said the structure had a working smoke alarm system.

Firefighters brought the fire under control at 4:20 a.m. and extinguished it at 5:05 a.m.

No injuries were reported.

HFD investigators determined that the fire was accidental and was caused by the spontaneous combustion of discarded paint rags in a plastic trash can. Fire damage was estimated at $607,000 to the structure and $92,000 to its contents. The total property loss was estimated at $699,000.

The four-bedroom, two-bath home was built along the coastline in 1972, according to city property records.

Area residents said the home is used as a vacation rental and that one or both men who escaped the structure were working on the home.

A pickup truck in the garage of the residence was destroyed in the blaze.

Neighbor Eric Fleckles said he woke up at about 3:50 a.m. after he heard a loud “pop” and saw the home across the narrow street in flames.

Fleckles called 911 and sprayed his home with water to protect it from the fire. “You could definitely feel the heat coming off of the house,” he said as he stood in front of his home watching firefighters extinguish hot spots. “It was very intense.”

“I’m glad everybody’s OK,” Fleckles said.

HFD says discarded paint rags should never be left in a pile. Instead, hang the rags out to dry or spread them on the ground and weigh them down to prevent them from blowing away.

Keep them away from buildings. Place in a metal container with a tight-fitting cover filled with water and detergent, which will break down the oils.