Couple suffer burns following structure fire in Ocean View

A man and woman suffered burns following a structure fire in Ocean View where the property and personal belongings were a total loss.

Hawai‘i Fire Department responded to the blaze, located at Keaka and Orchid Parkways, at 11:13 p.m. on Sunday. Access to the property was set back about 450 feet from the road down a steep driveway. When they arrived on scene, crews found a 1,500-square-foot single-family residence fully engulfed in flames.

One of the residents, a 19-year-old woman, said the fire started when an 18-year-old man, who had gasoline on his body from attempting to fill a portable generator, lit a cigarette and caught fire. The pair were taken to Kona Community Hospital where they are stable.

The neighboring residence was evacuated while crews fought the blaze. Two engines, two tankers and two ambulances responded to the scene as well as 14 firefighters.

The fire was extinguished at 2:12 a.m. Fire inspectors were notified of the situation. Loss of property is estimated to be $45,000.