VIDEO: Elderly Woman Safe After Iao Parkside Fire

Iao Parkside Fire, 8/31/12. Photo by Wendy Osher.

[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9pGYK-_JZc /] By Wendy Osher

A 93-year-old woman and her dog are safe this morning after they were alerted of an apartment fire overnight by neighbors.

The incident was reported at 3:41 a.m. on Friday, August 31, 2012, at a unit within the Iao Parkside complex located at 1090 Eha Street in Wailuku.

About seven people were evacuated from neighboring units during the incident while firefighters worked to get the fire under control, officials said.

The woman told Maui Now that she was sleeping when her neighbor from upstairs yelled for her to wake up. The neighbor was unable to enter from the front because of the fire, she said, and helped her exit the home from the back sliding glass door.

The fire was brought under control by 3:55 a.m., and was extinguished at 4:43 a.m., according to Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga.

Authorities say the fire caused an estimated $2,000 in damage to the structure, and $100 in damage to its contents.

The cause of the fire is pending investigation by the Maui Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division.

A preliminary investigation found that an outside heat source was introduced, but authorities are still investigating the incident to determine what that source was, officials said.

Units responding to the scene included the Maui Fire Department’s Engine 10 and Rescue 10 from Kahului, and Engine 1 from Wailuku.

Crews from Maui Fire & Flood were on the scene this morning assisting the homeowner with cleanup efforts. They had planned to have the front entrance of the home boarded up by this afternoon.

Iao Parkside Fire, 8/31/12. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Iao Parkside Fire, 8/31/12. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Iao Parkside Fire, 8/31/12. Photo by Wendy Osher.