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Woman dies in fire
at Maui's Kihei Villages
condominium

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By Gary Kubota
Star-Bulletin

KIHEI -- A woman died after a fire swept through a second-story condominium unit at Kihei Villages in South Maui this morning.

"I heard a lot of yelling and heard someone screaming, 'Fire!'" said Christianne Carson, who lives in an adjacent unit.

Carson said she and her roommate climbed down from their second-floor patio because the fire was at her front door.

Police Lt. Joseph Higgins said the victim's stepson escaped through a window and her husband was working at the time of the fire. The stepson suffered minor injuries.

Higgins said the fire appeared to have started on a patio, and preliminary indications are the blaze started accidentally.

Firefighters from four stations including one as far as Makawao were called to fight the blaze, which caused at least $150,000 in damage to the building and contents.

The top unit, occupied by the woman killed, was gutted, and at least two other two-bedroom units suffered extensive smoke and water damage.

Wes Holland, a neighbor who escaped in his pajamas and with his portable computer, said the fire spread quickly and flames were shooting across a portion of his balcony before he jumped to safety.

Holland described the family of the woman as "nice, quiet people."

Firefighters took about 45 minutes to control the blaze after receiving the alarm just after 3 a.m., and extinguished it at 5:07 a.m.