Electrical Fault Sparks Kapunakea Street Structure Fire in Lahaina

Maui Now graphic by Wendy Osher.

A fire at a Kapunakea Street gas station building in Lahaina on Wednesday afternoon was deemed accidental, fire officials said.

The incident was reported at 3:04 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at the Shell gas station building at the corner of Kapunakea Street and the Honoapiʻilani Highway in West Maui.

Lahaina firefighters arrived on scene at 3:10 p.m. to find smoke coming from the second floor window of the building.

Fire officials say crews found a smoldering fire in the walls near an exhaust vent in the stairway leading to the second floor. Firefighters opened up the wall and extinguished the burning insulation at 4 p.m.

According to department reports, an employee reported smelling a smoke odor and was searching for the source of the smoke for about 30 minutes. Just before the employee left work, he discovered flames coming from an exhaust fan in the stairway. Fire officials say he snuffed out the flames with a fire extinguisher, shut off power, and called 911.

“Investigators ruled the fire accidental, and contributed the cause to an electrical fault,” said Maui Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto. Damages to the building were estimated at $7,500 and no injuries were reported.

Three fire companies from Lahaina and Nāpili, and the Lahaina battalion chief responded to the fire.