Updated at 1:18 p.m., Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Fire guts Kahalu'u home; no injuries reported
Advertiser Staff
Fire gutted an older wooden house on Laenani Drive in Kahalu'u this morning.No injuries were reported.
Fire Capt. Frank Johnson said firefighters received a call for assistance at 10:26 a.m. and had the blaze under control at 10:45 a.m.
The roof is still standing on the house at 47-036 Laenani Drive, but the interior was pretty much gutted by the fire, Johnson said.
The house had been occupied by an older woman, her adult son and her grandson. Only the woman was home at the time the fire started and firefighters found her outside the burning structure, Johnson said. The local chapter of the American Red Cross is helping the family find shelter.
"We want to remind people that if a fire occurs, they should leave the building and not go back in to try to fight the fire or to retrieve things," Johnson said.
A monetary damage assessment has not been made yet and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Johnson said. He said it appeared that the fire may have broken out in or near the home's kitchen.
Three engine companies and a ladder truck, amounting to about 20 firefighters, battled the fire, he said.
