A fire that killed an elderly woman in her Pearl City home Tuesday was caused by an electrical short-circuit, Honolulu Fire Department investigators have determined.

The body of Lillian Sato, 89, was found in the home at 1358 Hoolaulea St. after firefighters extinguished the blaze. The fire destroyed Sato’s single-story home and caused an estimated $250,000 in damage.
Investigators said the fire began in the patio from a short-circuit of an electrical extension cord. They have determined that the cause was accidental.
It was the first residential fire fatality on Oahu this year.