A fire that resulted in more than $670,000 in damage to a Foster Village residence on Wednesday was caused by a faulty power strip, according to Honolulu Fire Department investigators.
The fire was reported at 10:24 p.m. at 1238 Haloa Drive. HFD dispatched 10 units staffed with 38 personnel to fight the blaze.
Three men, two women, two girls and a boy escaped the home safely, although one of the men sustained minor burns. Three puppies died in the fire. The residence was not equipped with a working fire alarm.
Fire investigators determined that the fire was caused by electrical arcing in a power strip. Damage was estimated at $624,131 to the structure and $47,000 to its contents.
HFD is advising residents to make sure their smoke alarms are working by testing alarms monthly, replacing batteries once a year or when a low-battery alarm chirps, and performing other maintenance as the National Fire Protection Association and smoke alarm manufacturers recommend.
“And of course, a smoke alarm disabled because of nuisance alarms provides no protection at all,” the department said in a release.