With the help of the Hawaii Fire Department, interisland freight shipper Young Brothers was able to reopen its facility and resume cargo operations at the Port of Hilo on Tuesday afternoon, averting a possible disaster for East Hawaii retailers, wholesalers and consumers during the busy holiday season.

The company, providing service to the islands’ major ports, had put out the alarming notice Tuesday morning that its Hilo port facility “will remain closed until further notice.”

Nalani Say, director of terminal operations for Young Brothers, said in a written statement: “The safety of our employees and the community is our top priority. We are grateful to our partners at … the Department of Transportation Harbors Division, the U.S. Coast Guard and Hawaii County Fire Department for coordinating with us to resolve this issue swiftly.

“Young Brothers recognizes our critical role in connecting our island communities, and we’re eagerly resuming our operations to move what matters most for Hilo safely and efficiently.”

The U.S. Coast Guard, while conducting a routine inspection Monday, found that a fire hydrant closest to its facility was no longer connected to a water source for its fire suppression system, and required its closure Tuesday morning and a suspension of cargo operations.

The DOT said only Young Brothers and Pier 4 were affected by the closure. No other areas at the port or other users had to close, including Matson, Pasha, Par Hawaii, Hawaiian Cement and other passenger/cruise vessels.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Fisher said the fire hydrant near the Young Brothers area was connected to a 1920s-era water tower as its water source but that the county had demobilized that tower.

The company was required to pause its operations until it could find another water source, he said.

Young Brothers resumed operations between 2 and 3 p.m. Tuesday after the Fire Department was able to cover that gap, and the company worked with the Fire Department to develop plans to “implement temporary mitigation measures to address the malfunction in our facilities’ fire suppression system,” Young Bro­thers said.

Hawaii Fire Department Deputy Chief Eric Moller said its East Hawaii Fire Prevention Bureau staff responded to the announcement of the shutdown Tuesday morning and found the port had two hydrants within the area of the one that had the supply problem— one within 500 feet, the other within 145 feet, and within “our ability to lay in a supply line and put a fire out.”

Additionally, the company has a water tank that could likely meet most of its anticipated needs, he said.

The county has plans to replace the water tower in the future, Moller said, but could not say when.

He said the Coast Guard inspectors were following their criteria. “When we got the message, our fire prevention staff leaned forward and were able to explain how we can respond. We talked it out and can make a variance until it can be fixed.”

Moller acknowledged the seriousness of the loss of service by Young Brothers to Hilo, saying, “That’s our lifeline, right?”

The company said it had submitted plans to the Coast Guard for review, and is working with the Harbors Division to complete long-term mitigation measures.

The company said on its website, “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

The Honolulu Star-­Advertiser asked whether the company was aware of the problem with the fire suppression system, but did not receive a response to this question.

Young Brothers extended its gate hours for cargo pickup at the Port of Hilo until 6 p.m. Tuesday.

It offers special gate hours 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. today for customers picking up remaining cargo.

The company’s sailing continued as scheduled, departing Honolulu on Tuesday and set to arrive Thursday in Hilo.