WAILUA — At least one person was left homeless on Saturday after a mid-morning blaze gutted a home in the Wailua Homesteads. Kauai Police Department Officer Aaron Relacion, who was at the scene, said the fire began shortly after 11:23
WAILUA — At least one person was left homeless on Saturday after a mid-morning blaze gutted a home in the Wailua Homesteads.
Kauai Police Department Officer Aaron Relacion, who was at the scene, said the fire began shortly after 11:23 a.m., when emergency dispatchers received a call about a large structure fire at 5491 Waipouli Road.
The home, located near Nounou Mountain — also known as the Sleeping Giant — in Kapaa, was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters from the Kaikea, Kapaa and Lihue stations arrived on scene about 10 minutes later.
Mary Thronas, who owns the one-story, 3-bedroom home, said she was shopping in Lihue when she received a call about the fire around noon.
She said her son, Earl Thronas, and his girlfriend were at home when the fire broke out, and they were able to escape without suffering any injuries.
“I was told everything is gone,” Mary said as she stood outside the home’s driveway as the fire continued to smolder.
Wailua Homesteads resident Lidia Mikulec, who lives about a quarter of a mile from the blaze, said she was at home with her dogs when she noticed smoke billowing from a home across the valley.
“I smelled the smoke and looked around to see where it was coming from,” Mikulec said. “It was kind of small in the beginning and got bigger and bigger. The clouds from the smoke also got bigger and darker, and at one point, almost covered my view of the Sleeping Giant.”
Mikulec said she watched as firefighters, along with Air 1 support personnel, worked to contain the blaze for several hours.
“There are houses very close to it, so of course, it was kind of scary to watch because the fire spread very quick,” Mikulec said. “I already had an experience with a brushfire near my house, so I know quickly a fire can spread. More than anything, I was worried about the people living next door.”
The fire, according to a Kauai Fire Department news release, was deemed to be under control shortly after noon but was not fully extinguished until 3 p.m. Fire inspectors were working to determine the cause of the blaze as of late Saturday afternoon. An estimate of damages to the home and its contents could not be determined as of press time.
