A child playing with matches was the likely cause of a fire that left four people in Mililani homeless yesterday, fire investigators said last night.

Two boys, ages 4 and 6, were playing in the home at 95-109 Polale Place when the fire started about 10 a.m. The boys woke up their 21-year-old uncle, and all three and a family dog named Rocky managed to escape before the flames swept through the two-story house.

"They woke their uncle and he got everybody out of the house," said the home's owner, Catherine Lamug, who was not at home at the time of the fire.

Lamug's son, Mike, said his two nephews shook him awake, saying "Uncle. Uncle. Something's burning."

He said he jumped up and saw the fire burning in the back of the house.

"Death was going through my head; I thought we were going to die," Mike Lamug told KGMB-TV.

Lamug and neighbors tried to fight the fire with garden hoses after they got outside, but the fire spread within minutes throughout the home.

"We were trying to put it out with the water hose, but that wasn't doing any good and the flames were just too hot so I just stepped back," he said.

Neighbors said the fire appeared to start in the backyard, possibly in a shed where two small propane tanks were located.

$475K DAMAGE ESTIMATE

The Honolulu Fire Department said the fire, which was under control in about 20 minutes, caused an estimated $450,000 in damage to the home and $25,000 in damage to its contents. The fire heavily damaged both floors of the home, including the area where the boys were playing.

"It's basically unlivable," said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. James Todd.

Four people, all adults, were left homeless by the fire. They were staying with relatives last night, according to the American Red Cross Hawaii Chapter.

"My biggest worry was at least they're OK, that's my main thing," Catherine Lamug said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.