Updated at 7:55 p.m., Thursday, December 20, 2007
Boy, 3, burned in $250,000 Ewa Villages fire
Advertiser Staff
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An ambulance was sent to 91-1323 Maliko St. near the intersection of Fort Weaver and Renton roads at about 9:15 a.m.
Homeowner Lei Fernandez identified the boy as her grandson, Isaiah Fernandez.
Paramedics took him to Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children in serious condition with first- and second-degree burns to approximately 20 percent of his body, according to Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city's emergency services department.
The cause of the fire, which started in a first-floor bedroom, is under investigation but damages are estimated at $200,000 to structure and $50,000 to contents, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Terry Seelig.
Five engines, two ladders and a tanker company responded to the 8:57 a.m. alarm and reported the fire under control at 9:13 a.m., Seelig said.
In addition to the injured child, five people were displaced by the fire. The Hawai'i Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting them.
"I just thank the Lord everybody got out," Lei Fernandez said. "They just looked for the baby and got out of the house."
Her daughter Shelley, son Douglas and his girlfriend, and grandson Isaiah were the only ones home when the fire broke out, Fernandez said.
The home is equipped with smoke detectors, Fernandez said.
The top floor and back portion of the house appeared to have been destroyed in the fire.
"I heard a big boom, like fireworks," said neighbor Divina Mapanao, who lives across the street.
