VIDEO: 11 Displaced by House Fire on Kea Street in Kahului
[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94rxLueXXSo /] [flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09YfFsklxOs /]
By Wendy Osher
***Fire video credit: Malcom Fujita and Jack Dugan.
Eleven people were displaced by a 2-alarm fire on Kea Street in Kahului reported at 11:16 a.m. on Monday, May 4, 2015.
Officials say the fire resulted in total of $500,000 in damages to the structure and $100,000 in damages to the contents. The cause remains under investigation.
Kahului firefighters arrived on scene at 11:23 a.m. and found the single-story residence fully engulfed by flames, according to Maui Fire Services Officer Edward Taomoto.
According to Taomoto, fire crews went into a “defensive strategy” and began protecting neighboring homes from igniting. A home next door caught on fire but firefighters were able to stop it before it spread. Authorities say the neighboring residence sustained an estimated $10,000 in damage to its exterior.
According to department reports, initial arriving police officers were able to free a woman trapped in the backyard by the heat and flames, by breaking through a neighbor’s fence to rescue her. Authorities say she escaped without injuries.
The woman and two other adults were home at the time the fire broke out. The Red Cross is assisting the occupants, which included six adults and five children. No injuries were reported.
Fire crews from Wailuku, Paia, Makawao, Kihei and Wailea also responded.
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Fire crews are on the scene of a structure fire at a home on Kea Street in Kahului.
The fire was reported at around 11:22 a.m. on Monday, May 4, 2015 near the Wakea Street intersection.
***Further details will be posted as they become available.