HONOLULU -- Neighbors said the fire erupted, engulfing the wooden structure in a matter of minutes.

It broke out just after 5 p.m. on Ahe Place.

“We thought it was a barbecue but then once we saw the black smoke and we knew it couldn’t be a barbecue and we ran over here and it was already on fire. We got scared so we just stayed over here,” said Noah McCone.

Neighbors said smoke could be seen for miles, billowing out of Palolo Valley.

“We saw the smoke so I didn’t know if it was the elementary school or the apartment building next to it as we got closer we realized it was a house behind actually our house,” said Patrick Lopez.

The home is nestled between several houses, making it difficult for firefighters to access it.

“The challenge of access was compounded by kind of the rural remote setting even though this is close to a lot of residences it’s tucked away. We approached it from three different directions,” said Honolulu Fire Captain Terry Seelig.

The homeowner arrived shortly after firefighters contained the flames.

This isn’t the first time this home has made news.

In 2006 the Keliipuleole family made headlines when a family feud broke out between the Keliipuleole children and their step-mother, over land ownership.

The property has been in the family for generations.

The family feud was brought to court but the case was later dismissed in court.

“The house has been there a long time ever since I’ve been living here and this kind of stuff it rarely happens,” said Lopez.

There is still no word on the cause of the fire.

The blaze caused about $250,000 in damage.