A fire Monday afternoon killed a man in his 60s in a single-family house in Palolo, the fourth fatal fire in Honolulu this month, according to Fire Capt. Scot Seguirant.

Although firefighters were on scene within five minutes, the wooden home near Jarrett Middle School was already engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke pouring out.

Firefighters found the victim in a bedroom and quickly brought the fire under control. A woman who also lived in the house was out at the time.

It was the fifth fatal fire this year, starting with one in January and then four in quick succession this month, according to Seguirant, spokesman for the Fire Department.

He expressed dismay at the deadly rash of fires and urged people to take preventive action. Seguirant recommended installing a smoke alarm in each sleeping area and on every floor, and urged residents to consider sprinkler systems as well.

“I’m down — it’s just disturbing and it’s not acceptable, to have four fires in a month that leads to this,” Seguirant said. “It’s just not acceptable.”

He suggested that homeowners install sprinklers when they renovate their homes because they save lives.

“It’s not being considered when people do upgrades to their home,” he said. “People are more concerned about the high-end appliances and an extra room than to actually make it safe from fire.”

Monday’s fire broke out at 3290 Kalua Place, with the first alarm at 2:49 p.m. Firefighters arrived at 3:04 p.m. and brought the blaze under control by 3:10 p.m., Seguirant said. It was fully extinguished at 4:45 p.m.

Ten units with 39 fire personnel worked to put out the fire.

Palolo Avenue from Paalea Street to Kalua Road was closed for about two hours as firefighters and police responded.

Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze. The victim’s identity was not immediately available.

On Thursday night a 61-year-old man with limited mobility died in a high-rise apartment on Kalakaua Avenue in Pawaa. A neighbor heard the smoke alarm go off, but the man wasn’t able to flee.

That fire followed one in Pauoa Valley on July 13 that killed a 55-year-old woman while she was sleeping on the second floor of a house near Booth Park. A fire in Kalihi on July 5 severely burned a 75-year-old woman who died of her injuries July 11. That fire started in an adjacent home.

Monday’s fatal fire was the eighth since the Marco Polo condominium inferno on July 14, 2017, which killed four people.