A candle lit in a bedroom during the earthquake-induced blackout of Oct. 15 started the Kuli'ou'ou house fire that killed an elderly woman, the fire department said yesterday.

The candle was left too close to combustible materials in a back bedroom, starting the fire at 256 Kuli'ou'ou Road. Masae Kiyota, 81, died of burns and smoke inhalation, department spokesman Capt. Kenison Tejada said.

Neighbors Peter and Harris Phengvath rescued Kiyota's younger sister, who uses a walker and is in her late 70s. But they said the smoke was too intense for them to go back in to get Masae Kiyota, whose body was later found in the back bedroom.

The house had a smoke alarm, but the fire department said it found no witnesses who heard it go off.

Nine fire companies responded to the 7:41 p.m. alarm at the house, Unit D in a narrow lane of homes.

Damage was estimated at $70,000 to the building and $20,000 to its contents.

Most O'ahu residents were without electricity for 12 hours or more Oct. 15 after two earthquakes off the Big Island prompted a shutdown of Hawaiian Electric Co.'s generators.

The fire department urged people to be very careful when using candles. Keep them away from curtains and other combustible materials, and never leave a lit candle unattended.