'Unlucky' home hit again
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
The house at 2427 Kula Kolea Drive has seen its share of accidents.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
In the past year, two vehicles have barreled into the yard of the two-bedroom house that sits on the corner of Likelike Highway and Kula Kolea Drive. And yesterday fire destroyed its upstairs unit, causing $210,000 in damage to the structure and its contents.
Capt. Kenison Tejada of the Honolulu Fire Department points to what remains of a pot that melted on a stove burner at a home in Kalihi. Firefighters say the burned pot likely caused yesterday's fire.
Fire crews responded to the blaze at the Kalihi home at around 11 a.m. The fire, which started in the upstairs kitchen, was extinguished quickly, said Capt. Kenison Tejada.
One resident was home at the time, and he went upstairs when he heard the smoke alarm, then called 911, Tejada said.
Firefighters found a melted pot on a stove burner — thought to be the cause of the fire.
The Moriokas of Kaimuki own the 6,500-square-foot property. The owner could not be reached for comment.
Donna Clancy saw the fire from her home on Na'ai Street.
"The flames were shooting really, really high into the air," she said.
At about noon yesterday, two tenants wandered around the house, gathering what was left of the home they had lived in for years.
Shards of glass and pieces of roofing, wet from being doused by fire hoses, littered the driveway and yard. A light blue Mercedes was parked in front of the house, dulled by mud and debris. Remains of a metal gutter flapped in the wind.
One of the tenants of the home said he lost almost everything in the fire. His roommate collected clothing that survived the fire, which engulfed the upstairs portion of the house.
It was in June 2003 when the first of two vehicular accidents involving the home occurred. A rubbish truck crashed into three parked cars in front of the home and overturned. No one was seriously injured, but now there have been three incidents in 12 months.
"It's an unlucky place," Tejada said.
Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.
