Blaze causes more than $400K in damage

A fire that destroyed two buildings in Whitmore Village on Friday caused more than $400,000 in damage, a Hono­lulu Fire Department spokesman said.

Spokesman Kevin Mokulehua said firefighters found one house fully engulfed in flames when they arrived at 5:36 p.m. Friday. The fire spread to a second building on the property and caused $400,000 in structural damage to both buildings and $40,000 in damage to the contents, Mokulehua said.

No one was injured in the fire at 1147 Hoihoi Ave., but the blaze displaced two adults and a 7-year-old boy.

Gas meter accident prompts evacuation

A hula halau was evacuated Saturday afternoon after a car hit a gas meter in Kakaako.

Halau Hula Kamamolikolehua was just beginning class at about 2:30 p.m. when a white Volvo hit the meter in front of the Kamani Street building, said student Gabriel Shibata, who called firefighters. His mother heard the crash and shouted for everyone to leave the building, he said.

"It was pouring out," Shibata said of the hissing sound from the damaged meter. "It was like a deflating bounce house."

The building, at 439 Kamani St., also houses a bakery called Kapuakea Products and an office for Diamond Parking Services, but the halau was the only occupant at the time. Halau members practiced in a driveway across the street while firefighters investigated.