WAILUA — A structure fire in Wailua displaced one resident on Kihei Road Wednesday evening, according to officials.
According to a preliminary report, upon arrival at 9:10 p.m. Wednesday night, fire personnel discovered a single-story dwelling fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters first contained the fire then remained on the scene to extinguish multiple flare-ups throughout the night.
At 6:20 a.m. Thursday, Kaua‘i Police Department personnel were on-scene as firefighters conducted a shift change. Around 7:35 a.m., KPD informed dispatch that the structure again flared up.
At 9:45 a.m., the Department of Public Works used heavy machinery to move debris and assist fire personnel with final extinguishment. Fire investigators and personnel remained on the scene and later cleared at 2 p.m.
Kaua‘i Fire Department personnel from Station 3 Lihu‘e, Station 8 Kaiakea, and Station 2 Kapa‘a; Rescue 3; the on-duty battalion chief; Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative; the Department of Public Works; American Medical response; the Kaua‘i Police Department; and the KFD Fire Prevention Bureau responded to the incident.
Volunteers with the America Red Cross assisted the displaced individual. No injuries were reported.
The structure is considered a total loss, with damages and contents estimated at $893,000.
The cause of the fire is undetermined due to extensive fire damage.
This is the third residential fire on Kaua‘i in the last two weeks.
On Jan. 17, a Lihu‘e cooking-related fire displaced two people at the transitional housing project Kealaula on Pua Loke. The following night, two homes burned down in Hanalei causing an estimated $952,800 in damages. The cause of that fire remains undetermined due to the extent of the damages.
Kaua‘i American Red Cross Director Padraic Gallagher urges caution for community members.
“Make sure to check smoke alarms, and that you are able to get out of your house in two minutes or less,” Gallagher said.
He also warned that stoves, candles, and electrical appliances can start these types of residential fires.
