HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Honolulu police officers charged a 54-year-old man on suspicion of arson after a Nanakuli townhouse went up in flames .

Tuesday afternoon’s fire caused more than $700,000 in damage to the building on Helelua Place.

Upon inspecting the scene of the fire, investigators determined it was intentionally set.

The 54-year-old man was charged with arson in the first degree, with bail set at $100,000.

It started in a 2-story residence in the center of the building and then spread to neighboring units.

One resident described the moment he saw the fire.

“I smelled smoke. I looked in the sky, and it looked kind of smoky out here. We both came out of the unit, and that’s when we saw the unit pretty much engulfed in flames, real fast,” Clinton Yamaguchi said.

Honolulu

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