Fire skirts Ma'ili homes, singes roof of one

By Allison Schaefers
Advertiser Staff Writer

Rodrigo Sioras, a Mamoali'i Way resident whose roof was singed when flames from a brush fire came perilously close, bowed his head and gave thanks yesterday that his Ma'ili home was saved from fire for a second time.

"I'm so lucky," he said from the living room of his home after firefighters gave him the all-clear sign to return. "This was the second time that my house almost burned down. I was really scared."

Sioras, whose home also was touched by flames in 1992, was one of about 25 homeowners in the Palm Grove subdivision who were keeping a wary eye on a 40-acre brush fire that came within a few feet of their homes.

Fire officials reported no injuries and said that structural damage was contained to Sioras' home.

The danger to most of the homes seemed to have passed by about 12:47 p.m, but the fire continued to burn well into evening. The cause is under investigation.

Twenty Honolulu Fire Department units were dispatched to fight the blaze, some from as far away as Kalihi Kai, along with Air One, said HFD Capt. Emmit Kane.

The fire started at 11:25 a.m. in an overgrown field bordered by Mamoali'i Way and Kulauku Street. The wind quickly caused the flames to rise, and thick smoke blanketed the streets from Ma'ili to Nanakuli.

The fire was difficult to fight and spread quickly because there was a large amount of combustible brush in the field and because the wind was especially stiff, Kane said.

"We feared for the homes," Kane said. "The track of the fire came within 20 to 30 feet of about 25 homes."

On Mamoali'i Way, residents looked at the orange line of flames through the trees. They could feel the heat as ash rained down.

Neighbors watered their rooftops and tried to notify homeowners who were away. They also made sure Sioras and other disabled neighbors had assistance.

"Oh, my goodness, we were scared," said Mamoali'i Way resident Pat Begonia. "We know homes have been burned in the past. Something has to be done."

In the past month, there have been three fires near the neighborhood, said Anita Bailey-King, a member of the Palm Grove Association of Homeowners.

There are so many brush fires in the neighborhood that residents more or less know the drill, she said.

"We've got at least one a month," Bailey-King said.

Most of the neighborhood's 62 homeowners believe there would be fewer fires if someone cleared the brush and erected a fire break on the overgrown former Coast Guard land that borders their homes, Bailey-King said.

"We've been rallying against this problem for years," Bailey-King said. "Nobody wants to take responsibility for this land."

Reach Allison Schaefers at aschaefers@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8110.