Report of Vehicle Fire in Puna Leads to Discovery of Structure Engulfed in Flames

Big Island first responders were dispatched Tuesday, April 26, after a report of a vehicle fire in Puna but instead found a structure ablaze.

According to a press release from the Hawai’i Fire Department, police and firefighters, responding shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on E Road and Sixth Avenue in Pāhoa to a call about a vehicle fire, discovered upon arriving on scene a 20-by-20-foot unpermitted wooden structure fully involved in flames.

No vehicles were involved and there were no occupants or bystanders in the area.

The first fire unit arrived at 12:37 p.m. and the fire was extinguished by 1:51 p.m. According to the press release, officers with the Hawai’i Police Department remaind on scene for an hour to help with safety while firefighters worked to put out the fire.

The release said the fire was extinguished and an overhaul of the building was completed, with no occupants found inside the structure. The scene was turned over to police and firefighters were back in quarters by 2:13 p.m.

The loss from damages is estimated at $30,000. The cause of the fire remains undetermined following investigation, according to the release.

The owner of the structure is unknown.