Hot Water Heater Fire Damages Kalapana Home

A fire apparently started by a faulty hot water heater damaged a Kalapana home Sunday afternoon.

Michele Marzullo, owner of the house on Aloha Road in the Black Sands subdivision, was at home shortly after 2:38 p.m. when she heard two explosions from the vicinity of the hot water heater in a storage area under the building, Capt. Alex Almeida of the Pahoa fire station said in a statement.

Firefighters arriving at the home at 2:52 p.m. found flames coming from the storage area. It took about 18 minutes to extinguish the blaze which partially burned a wall, support post and floor joists, Almeida said.

Damage was estimated at $3,000, while the remainder of the 700-square-foot structure was valued at $70,000. No injuries were reported.