Update: Man Detained for Arson in South Kona Fire

The Hawai‘i Fire Department stated that a man was arrested for arson pertaining to a structure fire in South Kona.

Nine firefighting units responded to a call around 1:15 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1 in Keopuka Mauka in Captain Cook for a report of a structure fire, where a 1,500-square-foot residential home was fully engulfed when they arrived. Crews had difficulty reaching the building due to overgrown brush blocking access, but firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze by 2 p.m. by dousing it with waterlines and bucket drops.

A press release issued by the department said that a neighboring witness told firefighters he saw an unidentified male light the structure on fire. The man was still on scene when firefighters arrived, the press release said, and was arrested by the Hawai‘i Police Department.

No firefighters  or bystanders were injured in the fire. The damage was estimated at $150,000.