WAIPAHU — A family of 12 escaped injury tonight after a fire destroyed their Waipahu apartment.

The two-alarm fire at 94-305 Püpüçole St. was reported at 8:10 p.m. and the first fire company at the scene reported smoke and flames billowing out of the second-floor apartment. Firefighters brought the blaze under control within 15 minutes, but there was concern because fire officials feared that someone may have been unable to escape from the burning three-story building.
“Initially there was a call that someone might have been trapped, but once we got to the scene it was determined that no one was in danger,” said Capt. Earle Kealoha, Fire Department spokesman.
Kealoha said a man living in a neighboring apartment building suffered smoke inhalation and had to be treated by ambulance personnel. That man’s condition was not available.
Firefighters extinguished the fire at 8:33 p.m. A fire investigator last night was looking into the cause of the fire, as well as a damage estimate.
The two-bedroom unit was left uninhabitable, Kealoha said, and a unit directly above had slight smoke damage. Kealoha said that family was expected to return to their home.
The American Red Cross was called to help the 12 family members, ranging from an infant to a 58-year-old.