Arson case opened following raging, 2-alarm house fire in Aiea

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Honolulu firefighters have opened a first-degree arson case after a large blaze destroyed a home in Aiea on Saturday.

Neighbors say the home on Hekaha Street was abandoned and that homeless people have been seen coming and going from the property.

The fire started just before 4:40 p.m., and a dark plume of smoke could be seen from miles away.

It took firefighters about 20 minutes to get the fire under control.

A neighbor says he heard a small explosion and then spotted flames pouring out of the house.

“There was lots of smoke,” said Blake Linde. “It was really bad. I’ve been around a lot of fires in the military. This was big. It’s amazing that this didn’t spread because we’re so close here in this neighborhood.”

In addition to fire investigators, police have responded to the scene to gather evidence for the arson case.

This story will be updated.

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