A lunchtime brush fire kindled in a beachside area at the north of end of Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area on Tuesday. Moments later, an elderly woman’s Mercedes and garage caught fire in Keauhou.
Hawaii County firefighters used hand tools and water packs to contain the Old Airport fire, which burned about a quarter acre of dry grass and brush. As firefighters sprayed water on what appeared to be a ring of campfire stones, two day campers gathered belongings to get out of the area. One camper who declined to give his name said he had no idea how the fire started. The blaze is still under investigation.
Firefighters also responded to a report of a car fire that had spread to a home in the Na Hale O Keauhou condominiums, makai of the Keauhou Shopping Center. The fire destroyed the garage and a guest room directly above it, causing a estimated $200,000 in fire damage alone. Firefighters are still investigating.
Read more tomorrow in West Hawaii Today.