HAWAI'I KAI — A woman was seriously injured in a fire that heavily damaged her Hawai'i Kai house yesterday afternoon.

The woman, in her 60s, suffered burns and was taken to Straub Clinic and Hospital in serious condition. Her mother, in her 80s, was at home when the fire broke out, but was not injured.

The two-alarm fire at 157 Anapalau St. was reported at 5:44 p.m. and brought under control at 6:12 p.m. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.

The fire caused an estimated $330,000 in damage to structure and its contents, said Capt. Terry Seelig, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman.

Before firefighters arrived, neighbor Glenn Charach ran into the burning home, fearing that the homeowner was trapped inside. Charach, 54, said he was searching for flights on his computer when another neighbor called to say that, "Judy's home is on fire."

Charach said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the home. When he got there a man was using a hose to fight the fire and he was joined by Charach's daughter's boyfriend, who used a second hose.

Charach said Judy's mother, Olive, had gotten out of the home safely, but there were no signs of Judy. He said one of the men fighting the fire said Judy went back into the one-story house, possibly to rescue her dog.

"So I ran in there and all I could see was black smoke and started yelling for Judy," Charach said. "I was screaming and running wherever I could go. I was breathing the smoke, so I ran back outside, got a little air and ran back in trying to find her."

Luckily, he said, the wo- man had found her way out through the side of the house. But he said he could see that she had burns on her arm and face.

The family dog was later found safe and uninjured.

Despite the thick smoke, Charach said he didn't have second thoughts about dashing into the burning home.

"It's human life," he said. "I didn't see a bunch of flames coming out, so I ran in and I didn't feel any heat. All I saw was smoke. I can hold my breath for a long time, but I had to scream and yell so I breathed in a little bit. But I just wanted to save her."

Seelig praised Charach for his concern and actions, but he said fire officials urge people not to enter structures that are on fire. He said most houses contain plastics and other material that give off toxic gases, and homes can collapse at any time.

"It's really dangerous to go into a house that has smoke and fire in it even if it looks like one part is not involved," Seelig said. "The smoke can easily cause a person to lose consciousness, so we always tell people, 'Once you're out, stay out.' Never go into a burning building."

He added, "I don't want to discourage people from being Good Samaritans, but we always advise people never to go into a burning house. It's just too dangerous."