Fire/rescue units responded to a 2:10 p.m. alarm Sunday (May 15) to Ohia Avenue in the Eden Roc subdivion of Puna for a structure fire.
Crews arrived to find a collapsed 30×30 foot two-story wooden home consisting of a main first floor and small loft with a metal roof engulfed in flames. Firefighters worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding area and was able to extinguish the blaze with the arrival of a Tanker unit with water. The fire was declared under control at 2:35 p.m. and out at 3:45 p.m.
The two residents of the home were able to get out safely and there were no injuries reported. The Hawaii Red Cross is assisting with a 40-year-old woman displaced by the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and the loss of the unpermitted home that had no electricity or insurance was estimated to be $150,000 according to the fire dispatch report.