Cooking oil left on a stove caused a New Year's Day fire that burned a family of 10 out of their Whitmore Village home, fire department officials said. Family of 10 left homeless
after 1 of several
New Year’s fires in islesBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comMeanwhile police are investigating criminal intent in two other fires yesterday that damaged a Pearl City home and a Mililani High School portable classroom. Also, the cause of a fire at Maili Elementary is under investigation.
The Whitmore Village family was away from their one-story wood-frame home at 1122 Aheahe Ave. when a fire was reported at 2:10 p.m., said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Kenison Tejada.
Firefighters arrived by 2:16 p.m. and had the fire under control by 2:24, Tejada said. Damage was estimated at $120,000.
The couple, ages 32 and 28, and their eight children, ranging in ages from 10-year-old twins to a 10 month old, are staying with relatives and receiving help with food, clothing and baby care items from the American Red Cross, spokeswoman Jocelyn Collado said.
The Red Cross also is providing temporary shelter to a Pearl City man after his home at 1097 Puu Alanai Way was almost destroyed by a fire police believe was intentionally set. Neighbors said they saw a suspicious man at the house yesterday just before the fire.
Police said the man was seen parked outside the home at 7:30 a.m. A few hours later he was seen backing his vehicle into the carport. At 11:15 a.m. neighbors told police they heard a loud boom. After a second loud boom, neighbors said they saw the man driving away with several boxes in his vehicle.
A portable classroom at Mililani High was engulfed in flames at 3:45 a.m., Tejada said.
A police spokesman confirmed both the Mililani and Pearl City fires are being investigated as first-degree criminal property damage.
At Maili Elementary School, a fire caused $15,000 damage to the B building and $3,000 to its contents.
On Maui, investigators suspect fireworks might have caused a fire at 505 Front Street in Lahaina at 3:46 a.m. on New Year's Day. Damage is estimated at $50,000. The building housed several businesses, the fire department said.