A fire in an unpermitted structure on 29th Avenue in Hawaiian Paradise Park early Wednesday morning has left a 38-year-old woman homeless, according to a written Hawaii County Fire Department statement.
A fire in an unpermitted structure on 29th Avenue in Hawaiian Paradise Park early Wednesday morning has left a 38-year-old woman homeless, according to a written Hawaii County Fire Department statement.
Eight units responded to the alarm at 4:47 a.m. The first unit arrived at 4:50 a.m. to find the 30-foot-by-30-foot single-story structure fully engulfed in flames. The fire was brought under control at 5:02 a.m. and extinguished at 5:38 a.m.
The home’s resident, Krista Lynn Gervais, reportedly told authorities she had been sleeping when the fire broke out in the home, which is not connected to the electrical grid. She said a man who had been at the home when she went to sleep left during the night and his vehicle was not there when firefighters arrived.
Police blocked 29th Avenue to through traffic while firefighters battled the blaze.
The Fire Department estimates damage to the home, an uninsured wooden structure with a metal roof, at $40,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation by fire inspectors, but police say arson is not suspected.
A police spokeswoman said Gervais was arrested on a bench warrant for contempt of court. She is also being assisted by the Red Cross, according to the Fire Department.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.