A wooden bridge on Farrington Highway in Makaha that was set on fire yesterday morning may be reopened to traffic in about two days, provided there is no significant structural damage, an official said.

Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said engineers have not yet had a chance to see how badly the bridge was damaged.

"Crews are trying to get through all of the water and mud that resulted from putting the fire out so they can determine if the bridge is safe enough to use," Ishikawa said.

The bridge, which is on Farrington Highway between Upena Street and Kili Drive close to Makaha Beach Park, will be closed for at least another day or two to allow utility company crews to repair damage to water and electrical lines caused by the blaze, Ishikawa said.

Depending on the severity of the damage, one option may be to reopen the bridge to cars and small trucks, but keep it closed to larger trucks and buses.

"Fortunately, traffic can be detoured onto Makaha Valley Road and directed back toward the highway again on Kili Drive," Ishikawa said.

Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada said investigators believe the bridge fire was deliberately set. The investigation was turned over to police, he said.

He said the fire was reported about 4:40 a.m. and was declared under control 35 minutes later. Two engine companies and a tanker were called to the scene and about a dozen firefighters battled the fire, Tejada said.

There is deep charring to some of the bridge's main wooden beams, Tejada said. He estimated that at the peak of the blaze, flames were shooting 30 feet high.

The fire burned a Hawaiian Electric Co. power line and cut off electricity to about 12 customers, said Jose Dizon, HECO spokesman. Once the fire was out, crews were able to install a new line and power was restored at about 12:15 p.m.

The blaze also may have been responsible for a break in an 8-inch water main that runs on the side of the bridge. Su Shin, Ho-nolulu Board of Water Supply spokeswoman, said she wasn't sure if the fire caused the break, but it occurred about an hour after the fire was reported.

Although the pipe was damaged, the Board of Water Supply kept the water flowing so the fire department could put out the fire, Shin said. Once the fire was out, HECO crews moved and were followed by the Board of Water Supply.

About 160 homes and an apartment building were without water from about 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. while the repair work was done, Shin said.

Ishikawa said records show the bridge was built in 1937 and is one of two bridges in the area that are scheduled to be replaced.

Design work on the replacement bridges has already begun, Ishikawa said.

The bridge that burned is about 60 feet long and at the highest point is about 8 feet above a dry stream bed. The second wooden bridge is just past Kili Drive in the direction of Ka'ena Point.

Once construction begins on the two new concrete replacement bridges, each will take about a year to build, Ishikawa said.

If the bridge that burned is too badly damaged to allow further use, one option would be to route the highway around the damaged structure and erect a temporary bridge, Ishikawa said.