A fire that destroyed a two-story home in 'Ewa yesterday, leaving a family of four homeless, may have been deliberately set, fire officials said.

The fire at 91-1361 Ho'opi'o St. was reported at about 4:30 p.m., but one engine company had spotted the smoke and was already headed to the fire at the time of the alarm, said fire spokesman Capt. Emmit Kane. About 30 firefighters battled the blaze and brought it under control within 30 minutes, Kane said.

The fire did an estimated $450,000 in damage to the home and its contents, Kane said. No one was home when the fire began and there were no reports of injuries.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Kane said fire officials "have reason to believe it was suspicious in origin."

"There's extensive structural damage and the fire spread really quickly," Kane said.

He said the remains of the home were not structurally sound so investigators decided to wait until daylight to resume their probe.

A man and woman and their two adult children lived in the home. The American Red Cross was called to assist them.

A neighbor said she was working on her computer when her niece told her that the home across the street was on fire. The woman, who identified herself only as Gale, said she saw flames billowing out of the second floor of the home.

"When we looked out the window it was already blazing," Gale said. At one point she said she feared the flames would jump to another home, but firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading.

Yesterday's fire was just a few houses away from a fire last October where the bodies of a man and woman were discovered in the rubble of a home. Police and fire investigators said the October fire was deliberately set and the deaths were the result of a murder/suicide.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.