A fire Saturday in a former boat manufacturing facility in Waimea is under investigation, the Hawaii County Fire Department said in a statement.
Responding to a 12:19 p.m. Saturday alarm, fire personnel arrived at the former warehouse located at the corner of Kahilu Road and Pualahilahialanui to find the approximately 16,000-square-foot facility 75 percent involved in flames. The flames were venting through windows and the roof and several vehicles were also on fire, according to the department.
The department noted that the facility was known to be in poor repair since boat manufacturing ended more than 10 years ago. The facility was cluttered and filled with boat building fiberglass supplies, boat molds and cardboard boxes. Extinguishing the fire was hampered by large amounts of debris and collapsed metal roofing, according to the department.
Firefighters were able to save a small house-type living area that was semi-attached to the facility. No one was at the facility when the fire started, according to the department.
Damage was estimated at $200,000. No one was injured.