CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
On Kalihi Street a firefighter directed a woman holding a child away from a smoking home yesterday. Fourteen people were left homeless by the fire.
A fire at a two-story, four-unit dwelling in Kalihi left 14 people homeless yesterday morning and caused $185,000 damage. 14 people homeless
after fire in KalihiNo one was injured in the blaze
By Nelson Daranciang
at the 4-unit dwelling which caused
$185,000 in damage
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comA firefighter at the Kalihi Fire Station was outside trimming some hedges at 9:44 a.m. when passers-by alerted him to smoke pouring out of a structure nearby, said station commander Capt. Patrick Fukuda.
By that time the Honolulu Fire Department's Alarm Bureau had received numerous calls and was sounding the alarm. The fire was across King Street at 920 Kalihi St.
When Fukuda arrived at the dwelling, he ordered a second alarm. Seven units responded to the fire, which appeared to have started in the rear unit on the second floor.
Two people were in the unit at the time. They were able to escape without injury after the owner saw the smoke and alerted them, said Capt. Richard Soo, HFD spokesman. The owner lives in the second-floor front unit.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
The rear unit on the second floor sustained the most damage from the fire, the front unit sustained smoke damage and the two first-floor units suffered water damage, Soo said.
The American Red Cross made contact with all the residents and was waiting to see what assistance they needed.
The residents wanted to first check with their insurance representatives, said Jocelyn Collado, Red Cross spokeswoman.
