15 hotel guests evacuated as fire causes $1M damage on Hawaii island
Fifteen guests were evacuated from the Kohala Village Inn in Hawi town on Hawaii island’s north shore late Wednesday night as a fire caused $1 million in damage to an adjacent historic building and restaurant, Hawaii County fire officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, fire officials said today.
Firefighters were called to the intersection of Hawi Hill Road and Akoni Pule Highway at 11:23 p.m. and the first unit arrived seven minutes later.
Fire officials described the Kohala Village Hub as a historic building and restaurant with an adjoining hotel and several businesses inside the building that burned.
Firefighters arrived to find the interior fully engulfed in flames that were coming out of the roof, which collapsed. All of the exterior walls and most of the interior walls were left intact.
The fire was reported under control at 3:27 a.m. today.
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No one answered the phone at the Kohala Village Hub or Kohala Village Inn this morning.
The Kohala Village Hub is located on five acres on the Kohala Coast about an hour from the Kona Airport, according to the Kohala Village Hub website.
The Kohala Village Inn has 18 plantation-style guest rooms, according to the web site.