WAILUA — A victim of a house fire on Sunday remains listed in critical condition but is expected to be OK, according to his parents.
Sean Switzer, 29, suffered second-degree burns on his hands, arms, shoulder and torso, while attempting to extinguish a blaze in his room of an Ohana Street residence early Sunday in Wailua.
According to county spokeswoman Sarah Blane, the Straub Hospital staff reported that the patient remains in intensive care as of Tuesday. However, according to Switzer’s father Kenny Terheggen, Switzer should all right.
“He will recover and he will be fine,” said Terheggen. “He did burn one of his hand’s pretty bad and it will be a long road to recovery.”
Terheggen remained on Kauai to run the family business at Kauai Water Ski & Surf company, while his spouse Kathy went to Oahu, where Sean remains sedated and is expected to be moved to the burn unit today.
The fire started shortly after 6 a.m., and Terheggen believes it was started by a candle in the loft, but said he won’t know for sure until Sean is able to communicate with them. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“We haven’t been able to talk to him this whole time,” he said. “They are keeping him out because burns are the worst pain you can get.”
Terheggen recalls waking up about the time the flames were starting to get out of control. They first helped Kathy’s 88-year-old mother out of the home along with another occupant.
Switzer remained inside trying to put out the blaze, which is how he was burned so badly, Terheggen said.
The fire got out of control quickly.
The victim was taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, and then medevaced to Straub Hospital in Honolulu later that day.
The fire caused roughly $150,000 in damages to the two-story home and its contents, according to the Kauai Fire Department. The inside burned severely while the exterior doesn’t show any damage at all, Terheggen said.
“It is repairable and we are trying to deal with that right now,” he said. “There is smoke, water and fire damage and everything inside is ruined.”
He said it was fortunate that two boats under the garage and other items outside belonging to the business were not destroyed or burned.
According to a neighbor, the family discovered a smoldering couch and alerted responders who put it out before the fire caught again.
The American Red Cross responded on Sunday. The family has instead decided to stay with a neighbor for the time being, said Terheggen.
• Tom LaVenture, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0424 or by emailing tlaventure@thegardenisland.com.
