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Four escape house fire in Waianae

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Fire investigators work on the scene of the aftermath of a house fire that claimed a second floor unit on Helelua Street today.
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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Fire investigators work on the scene of the aftermath of a house fire that claimed a second floor unit on Helelua Street today.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Fire investigators work on the scene of the aftermath of a house fire that claimed a second floor unit on Helelua Street today.
2/2
Swipe or click to see more

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Fire investigators work on the scene of the aftermath of a house fire that claimed a second floor unit on Helelua Street today.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Fire investigators work on the scene of the aftermath of a house fire that claimed a second floor unit on Helelua Street today.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Fire investigators work on the scene of the aftermath of a house fire that claimed a second floor unit on Helelua Street today.

Four people safely escaped a large fire that tore through a townhome in Waianae today.

Eleven units with 36 firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire that broke out at Unit 6 at 87-150 Helelua St. at 10:10 a.m. Honolulu Fire spokeswoman Louise Kim McCoy said a man, his adult daughter and two boys safely escaped the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

Honolulu Fire Capt. Gerald Pacheco of the Nanakuli Fire Station said residents used a garden hose and a fire extinguisher to battle flames to no avail before firefighters arrived.

The fire ripped through the entire second floor, charring two bedrooms of the two-story, four-bedroom townhome.

Fire crews brought the fire under control just before 10:25 a.m. and extinguished it 30 minutes later.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage to the structure and contents is estimated at $135,000.

The fire department contacted the American Red Cross to assist displaced residents. A total of five adults and two children live in the townhome.

There were no smoke alarms in the unit. The Honolulu Fire Departments reminds the public to install smoke alarms in their homes.

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