A discarded cigarette started the fire that did $50,000 in damage to a two-story, single-family dwelling on Lania Place in the Newtown area of 'Aiea early yesterday, fire investigators determined.

Four adults and three children, ages 1 to 6, were able to escape without injury after a smoke alarm sounded, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Earle Kealoha.

The fire was reported just after 1:30 a.m. and was extinguished by 2:15 a.m.

Confined to a downstairs family room, the fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to the structure and $20,000 to its contents.

The fire was accidental and started in the closet of a family room on the first floor of the home, Kealoha said.

GOVERNMENT TAKING SUPERFERRY VESSELS

Hawaii Superferry's two vessels are being moved to a Norfolk, Va., shipyard under the custody of the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Court records show that Hawaii Superferry owes the Maritime Administration, the bankrupt company's main creditor, $136.8 million. Mobile-based Austal, which built both ferries under a $190 million contract, is owed $22.9 million.

The Maritime Administration has said it plans to repossess and sell the two vessels.

Maritime Administration spokeswoman Susan Clark couldn't say whether the Navy plans to look over the ferries while they're in Norfolk.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the military wants to lease two high-speed ferries to fill a gap before the first of its 10 transport vessels are completed in 2011.

Superferry's two catamarans have been docked in Mobile since ceasing service in Hawai'i.

DESTROYER RETURNS TO ISLES TOMORROW

The Pearl Harbor-based USS Chung-Hoon is due to return to Hawai'i tomorrow after a six-month deployment to Southeast Asia and other parts of the western Pacific.

In Southeast Asia, the guided-missile destroyer participated in bilateral exercises designed to boost military readiness and help the navies of different countries work together.