KAILUA-KONA — Neighbors on Oluolu Street in Kona Highlands were saddened and blown away as details of a Friday morning house fire later revealed the body of one of the residents was found in the scorched remains of the home.
A man in his mid-50s was discovered in the downstairs portion of the house after fire crews had extinguished the blaze.
Hawaii Fire Department first got the call at 6:10 a.m. When firefighters arrived on scene, the backside of the house was engulfed in flames. Hawaii Fire Battalion Chief John Whitman said when they first arrived there was no one reported to be home at the time.
The victim was found later near where the fire originated, Whitman said.
Residents on the quiet street said it all started at about 5:45 a.m. Some heard explosions. Others saw a puff of smoke and flames.
The first responders were Sean Hilla and his brother, Ryan Gerwig, who is visiting from out of town. The men were awake early as they were prepping for a day trip to Mauna Kea.
Hilla and Gerwig were watching the moon set when the fire erupted before their eyes at the home across the street.
“One minute there was nothing; the next thing – towering flames,” Hilla said.
The men threw on their shoes and raced to the house. Hilla yelled: “call 911!”
Gerwig, an off-duty firefighter from Boca Raton, Florida, kicked in the front door and did a sweep of the first floor to make sure no one was trapped. Hilla said he got some neighbors to get out garden hoses and start soaking down the neighboring house.
As the brothers went into the next-door neighbor’s yard to access the back of the house, they were met with a wall of heat.
“There was no getting in there without jeopardizing our own safety,” Gerwig said of the downstairs portion of the house.
Gerwig and his brother stepped back once fire crews arrived. They provided a statement, then went on to Mauna Kea.
“We were talking all day saying at least no one was in there,” Hilla said. “I was telling my brother he was a hero.”
When they got home in the early evening, they learned of the fatality.
“There was nothing we could do to save this gentleman’s life,” Hilla said.
T-Jay Quimby also responded to the house with the brothers Friday morning. He said he pounded on the outside of the house to try and wake up anyone who was inside.
“Flames were rolling up the backside of the house,” Quimby said. “The porch to the second floor had caught fire.”
Quimby said he heard a few explosions. He attributed it to the tires on a truck parked beside the house and possibly propane tanks.
“I can’t believe that man died,” Quimby said Friday evening.
Those not assisting watched nearby.
Yaqui LeBlanc was one of the onlookers. She currently lives above Hilla. She said she was awake at 5:30 a.m., and heard something about 15 minutes later.
“I heard a man screaming and it sounded desperate,” LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc said she didn’t know if the scream was coming from the street or the house.
When she went out to look, LeBlanc said the whole back of the house was on fire with flames at least 50 feet high.
At about 10 a.m., two Red Cross volunteers were leaving the neighborhood. Neill Bell and Elizabeth Miller had touched base with a resident in the home to see what immediate assistance they needed.
Twenty-nine firefighters responded to the scene. Damages to the four-bedroom, 3,000 square feet home are about $210,000, according to the fire department.
Hawaii Police have not identified the victim or the cause of death at this time. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.