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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 6:23 p.m., Monday, March 31, 2008

Water heater malfunction caused Niu Valley fire

Advertiser Staff

Thursday's fire that gutted the Niu Valley home of famed Polynesian voyaging navigator Nainoa Thompson and his wife, KHON2 television personality Kathy Muneno, was caused by a malfunction of an electric tankless water heater, according to Honolulu Fire Department investigators.

HFD spokesman Capt. Earle Kealoha said today the fire originated in a crawl space under the house at 440 Puamamane St.

Damages were estimated at $300,000 to the structure and $50,000 to the contents.

No one was injured in the fire. The damaged house is one of five structures — four of them homes — on a five-acre Thompson family compound located at the end of Puamamane Street.