Posted on: Tuesday, January 21, 2003

Body found in Maui home after fire

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Maui firefighters recovered a body from a house destroyed by fire in Ha'iku early yesterday morning.

Fire crews responded to the blaze shortly after midnight on 280 Holokai Road. After the fire was put out shortly before 2 a.m., the body was found, said Maui Assistant Fire Chief Gordon Cordeiro.

The body was burned beyond recognition, and an autopsy has been scheduled, Cordeiro said.

Neighbors told fire officials they believed one person was living in the home, but authorities were unsure if the victim was the resident.

"We believe the victim to be a male, but we don't know much else," Cordeiro said.

The cause of the fire at the one-story, single-family home is under investigation, he said.

Cordeiro said that by the time firefighters arrived at 12:10 a.m., flames had engulfed the structure, and the roof and exterior walls had collapsed.

Crews had the fire under control at 12:28 a.m. and extinguished at 1:51 a.m.

Damage was estimated at $130,000.