Correction: A previous version of this story had an incorrect address of the home destroyed by fire based on information from the Hawaii Fire Department. It also had incorrect homeowners, based on county property tax records of the incorrect address. The Tribune-Herald regrets the errors.
A man believed to be in his mid- to late-70s was found dead Saturday in the rubble of a home destroyed by a mid-morning fire in downtown Hilo.
According to a police log, the home was at 542 Kinoole St., between Hilo Central Fire Station and Ballard Family Mortuary.
Ten fire companies responded to the 9:35 a.m. alarm with the first unit arriving three minutes later. The fire was reported under control at 10:15 a.m. and extinguished at noon.
“These guys at Central just did an awesome job, because when we rolled up the structure was fully involved,” said Battalion Chief Ian Smith. “The flames coming out the side were impinging on the houses on either side. The fear was that whole block could’ve gone.”
As heavy rain fell, black smoke billowed skyward at least 100 feet high. Police set up roadblocks on Kinoole Street at the corners of Ponahawai and Hualalai streets and also blocked off side streets, including Kukuau and Ululani streets. Traffic, which was backed up for a time, was detoured via Kukuau and Ponahawai.
The roads were reopened shortly before 3 p.m., according to a police dispatch.
The home was a two-story plantation-style house on an elevated post-and-pier foundation with the rear of the structure fully involved. The Fire Department statement pointed to the garage and the rear of the home as a “possible point of origin.”
“There was a significant amount of flammable materials to the rear of the house,” Smith said.
The other three residents of the home were accounted for and referred to the Red Cross for help.
Hawaii Police Department Sgt. Norbert Serrao said at the scene that neighboring homes were evacuated as a precaution until the fire was extinguished.
A Hawaii Electric Light Co. employee worked on power lines on Kinoole Street from inside a basket lift on the rear of a truck.
“The house that was involved and the houses on either side were still fully energized,” Smith said. “So for us, our biggest concern is when we are working underneath these lines is that one of the lines comes loose for one reason or another because the structure is compromised. That becomes an electrocution hazard for us. So we had to curtail our suppression activities until … the power had been shut off to the houses.”
The compromised structural stability of the house also delayed the search efforts that resulted in the discovery of the body, Smith said.
According to Smith, the rain neither hindered nor helped firefighting efforts.
“The fire was underneath the tin roof and the rain wasn’t getting to anything that was underneath the roof,” he said.
Owen Sobrado, who lives nearby, stood and watched firefighters battling the blaze from the makai corner of Kinoole and Kukuau streets. He praised the quickness of the response.
“They were there very quickly,” Sobrado said, and added he witnessed “a lot of great working cops and firefighters.”
Sobrado said he smelled the smoke before he saw it.
“It smelt like chemicals,” Sobrado said. “Chemicals and electrical. It smelt like an electrical fire.”
The Fire Department estimated about $525,000 in damage both to the destroyed home and to the homes on either side. The department also estimated its efforts resulted in about $600,000 in property value saved — referring to those neighboring residences.
According to county tax records, the destroyed home was on property zoned commercial, with the property owner listed as Robert E. Oliver III
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
