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Honolulu firefighters determined a fire that damaged a townhouse over the weekend in Kaneohe was accidentally started and caused $366,000 in damage.
Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Scot Seguirant said Monday that the Saturday fire at 47-181 Hui Akepa Place was started by a torch for removing unwanted vegetation. He said the operator of the torch had set it down and later smelled smoke. Firefighters found the torch had ignited nearby combustibles and ruled the cause of the blaze as accidental.
Two men tried to extinguish the fire, but could not get behind a wall where the fire was burning and they called 911. Firefighters were dispatched at 12:04 p.m. and found smoke emanating from the second floor of the two-story townhouse.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control by 12:40 p.m. and extinguished it at 1:12 p.m.
No one was injured in the incident. The Red Cross said it was assisting displaced residents.
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