‘Yesterday was a sad day for us’: Football club equipment destroyed by fire in Wahiawa

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A fire at Wahiawa District Park on Monday severely damaged a storage shed belonging to the Wahiawa United football club, destroying much of their equipment.

“For us to do this, we actually open a doorway for kids to know it’s ok to play football,” Wahiawa United Coach Isaac Feleti said. “Football is a tool for them, and a place to work hard and be appreciated,”

The fire consumed facemasks, helmets, and recently donated safety gears, among other items.

“Yesterday was a sad day for us,” Feleti said. “I mean they’ve stole stuff from us and we’re just going to move on from that but to actually burn down this with all our equipment inside, it’s pretty devastating,”

Wahiawa resident Ramsey Kihano discovered the flames around 5 a.m.

“For a community like Wahiawa, where everything is already a struggle and to burn down this stuff our kids are using every day, it’s sad,” Kihano said.

The Wahiawa United has received substantial support from the local community.

“I mean we strive to do this,” Feleti said. “So, we pretty much tell kids, ‘Don’t worry about the financial part, we’ll suit them up the best we can,'”

He appreciates the community’s support, which has been present even before the club was established.

“The overwhelming support is awesome,” Fileti said. “The messages coming into our page is heartfelt, we appreciate everybody, and I know yesterday was a sad day, today is a better day I believe we can move forward.”

Learn more about Wahiawa United, here.