Family escapes early morning blaze uninjured

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KAILUA-KONA — A family of five escaped a heavy fire early this morning without any reported injuries.

The Hawaii Fire Department said it responded around 2 a.m. to a heavily involved second-story fire at a storage facility at 74-5499 Loloku St. in Kailua-Kona.

The family was alerted by smoke alarms and exited the building safely. Heavy fire was evident from the lanai and living area of the structure, which has a downstairs office, which is connected to a commercial self-storage facility.

Fire companies from Kailua-Kona, Keauhou, Makalei, Captain Cook and South Kohala responded. Personnel stopped the fire spread and initiated an interior fire attack to extinguish the fire, the department said.

The upstairs area involved in the fire was a residential unit attached to the self-storage facility. Firefighters were able to salvage items from the downstairs office area and move them to a nearby available storage area.

The family has been displaced and is being assisted by Red Cross. Estimated value of the building is $500,000, with damage estimated at $275,000 including personal items and contents.

The building is attached to storage units which were not damaged by the fire. It was out by 2:45. a.m.