The Honolulu Fire Department is investigating an early-morning fire that destroyed a vacant house in Makaha Wednesday.

More than 40 firefighters responded to the blaze at a two-story structure at 84-1162 Lahaina Street shortly after 2:45 a.m. Upon arrival, the house was engulfed in flames, the fire department said.

Lola Naeole, who lives next door, said her husband was getting ready for work at the time when he noticed a small fire on the ground floor of the vacant home. He called 911 and within minutes, the structure went up in flames. “It was very scary,” Naeole said, adding she could feel the intense heat from the flames while she was on her property.

Firefighters brought the fire under control at about 3:10 a.m. and extinguished it just before 3:50 a.m. There were no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and a damage estimate has yet to be determined.

City property records show Time Wealth Developers LLC owns the property, on the corner of Lahaina Street and Makaha Valley Road. The home has been vacant for approximately two years. Area residents say four homes are slated to be built on the property.

This was the third time a fire broke out at the site within the last two months, according to Naeole. One of the previous fires scorched bushes and threatened homes on her property. Contractors had since cleared bushes and trees from the site.

Naeole said Wednesday’s fire was the worst of the three.

She recalled some of her family members heard loud pounding sounds coming from the abandoned home overnight before the fire broke out.

Two openings in a chain-link fence that surrounds the vacant structure have resulted in squatting and illegal dumping. A heap of old metal parts, tires, a folding chair and other items were seen next to the structure along with a mattress and refrigerator in the carport.

Fire investigators placed yellow caution tape across the fence openings after crews extinguished the blaze.

Naeole said the abandoned home is a public hazard and needs to be demolished. “They should’ve knocked it down a long time ago.”

Curtis Lum, spokesman of the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, said four building permit applications — one for demolition and three for four dwelling units — for the Lahaina Street property are currently under review.