Firefighting on Kaua’i gets busier every year. The Kaua’i County Fire Department reported 277 structure (homes and buildings) and non-structure (brush, canefield, stoves and trash) fires over the past year. So far in 2001, 11 homes or buildings have been
Firefighting on Kaua’i gets busier every year.
The Kaua’i County Fire Department reported 277 structure (homes and buildings) and non-structure (brush, canefield, stoves and trash) fires over the past year.
So far in 2001, 11 homes or buildings have been destroyed or damaged by fire, a high number when compared with figures from previous years, according to Russell Yee, a Fire Department inspector.
The number of fires is up generally because “we have more people on the island,” said battalion chief Paul Silva Jr. “It goes in cycles. Some years we have fewer. No reason why this happens.”
Contrary to popular belief, fires are not more likely to occur during droughts, Silva said.
“Heat and dry weather conditions will cause fires to spread, but people cause fires,” he said.
The number of structure fires might go down if people become more alert to conditions that could trigger fires, he added.
A preliminary Fire Department investigation into a fire that gutted a Ha’ena home last Saturday indicated a partially extinguished cigarette dumped in a rubbish can might have been the cause.
In that fire, a 64-year-old woman was carried out of the burning home by her son before it was consumed by the blaze. The woman was not injured.
Earlier this month, a house in Hanapepe was destroyed while the homeowner worked in the yard. The man went back into the house with a garden hose to put out the fire but was turned back by black smoke. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Currently, 124 firefighters man seven fire stations on Kaua’i.
Answers to burning questions
As a way to reduce the risk of house fires, the Kaua’i County Fire Department recommends:
– Install a smoke detector on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area. Test the devices monthly.
– Plan an escape route in the event of a fire.
– Keep an eye on smokers. Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths in North America, according to fire safety officials.
– Never leave cooking food unattended. Wear clothes with short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking.
– Keep matches away from children, store matches and lighters away from them and buy child-resistant lighters.
– If an electrical appliance emits smoke or has an unusual smell, unplug it immediately.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
