KOHALA, Hawaii (KHON2) — A house fire at a large home in Kohala caused millions of dollars in damage on June 8 — but the fire department says officials protected most of the property.
The home was described as a “mega single-story single-family residence,” with the property being worth about $26 million. The Hawaii County Fire Department said its crews were able to save property valued at nearly $20 million.
According to the Hawaii County Fire Department, units were alerted to the blaze just before 1 a.m. on June 8, with the first unit arriving at the scene soon after. When crews arrived, they saw smoke coming out of the rafters at the southwest corner of the home, but were unable to see any flames.
“The fire was hidden and therefore took some time to locate,” the fire department said Monday.
Crews began fighting the fire within a bedroom in the home. It was reported that there was fire “inside the walls and attic” and “heavy smoke” was coming into the areas around the bedroom.
The fire department said part of the roof inside the home collapsed in the living room/kitchen area. Fire crews were able to “get ahead of the fire in the attic space,” and that process took several hours, the department said.
Crews fought the blaze for just over two hours, with the fire being reported as out around 3:15 a.m., and the Hawaii County Fire Department said the fire was contained to roughly 25% of the main structure.
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There were no injuries reported after the fire. Nearly 20 personnel responded via 8 units, including fire engines, a medic unit and more.