KAILUA-KONA — The Hawaii Fire Department continues to investigate a blaze that partially collapsed a two-story house Tuesday afternoon in Keauhou.
West Hawaii Battalion Chief Darwin Okinaka said it’s too early to tell what caused the fire that displaced several tenants, although he said nobody required any medical treatment.
The fire quickly burned through the second story of the wooden structure on Holua Road in Keauhou, sending plumes of smoke that could be seen from the overlook along Kamehameha III Road.
Two of the home’s occupants fled the residence unharmed, according to a report by the Hawaii Fire Department.
Witnesses first noticed the fire around noon, saying that within seconds, the blaze shot through the whole house. Thirty minutes later, they said, the second floor collapsed.
The first emergency units responded at 12:05 p.m., according to the HFD report. The fire was reported out just over an hour later.
Okinaka said the fire’s rapid acceleration could be the result of the house’s open floor plan. Without any partitions separating off parts of the house, the fire was able to quickly travel through the area.
Investigators haven’t determined a cause, he said, but that it looked to have started somewhere in the center of the house. There’s no indication of foul play at this time. About seven or eight people seemed to be renting space at the house, he said.
The property’s owner, he said, is believed to live in the mainland, although there was a property manager there. Okinaka didn’t have a time frame for how long the investigation might take.
“Being that it’s a fairly big house and a lot to sort through, it may take a while,” he said.