Firefighters were busy from sunup to sundown yesterday, battling an early morning brushfire in Makua Valley, a midday blaze in Waialua and an afternoon apartment fire on Young Street.

The Waialua fire destroyed a greenhouse and several structures on a farm. A family of three who lived on the property was being assisted by the American Red Cross.

The fire started about 1 p.m.

Wind-whipped flames spread quickly through a greenhouse for mushrooms and ignited the structures, then some brush.

Damage to the structures and contents totalled about $20,000, fire Capt. Terry Seelig said.

The farm is about a half-mile from Waialua High School.

The Young Street apartment fire happened about 5:58 p.m. Firefighters said no one was in the unit when the blaze started.

No injuries were reported.

The fire started in a third-floor unit at 2064 Young Street. About 14 firefighters got to the scene by 6:03 p.m. The fire was under control by 6:07 p.m.

Investigators said the fire started because a stove was left on.

The blaze did not spread to adjacent units.

One person lives in the affected apartment, and neighbors said he left earlier in the day.

Damage was estimated at $20,000. Rhonda Kim, who lives under the affected unit, said she was on the street when she noticed smoke pouring out the apartment's open jalousie windows.

"Then, we saw the fire going," she said.

On the Leeward Coast, an early-morning blaze in Makua Valley threatened to spread into the adjacent military firing range.

More than 40 firefighters, 30 of whom were federally employed, responded to the blaze.

The fire was reported about 4 a.m., and contained within two hours, Seelig said. In all, about two acres were scorched. The cause is under investigation.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.