Late this morning at 11:50 am Pahoa branch of the Hawaii Fire Department received a call of a structure fire on Kaimu Chain of Craters Road near the 24-mile marker.
By 12:12 pm the first units arrived on the scene to find a single-story residential home approximately 20’x25′ (500 sq. ft.) fully engulfed in flames. Two vehicles and a small pile of tires were observed on fire as well. It was determined no occupants were in the home so HFD began to extinguish the fire. Shortly after, the structure collapsed.
HFD got the fire under control by 12:20 am and fulled extinguished at 1:30 as the overhaul was completed. Surrounding exposures were determined to be unaffected by the fire.
With HPD also on scene. A report from neighbors determined that the homeowner/occupants were not home during the fire. Before the fire, the owner was reported to be burning some trash and then left the fire unattended in a green KIA just before the structure catching on fire. Though rescue was not needed and no casualties were reported. It was reported that 3 pet geese were confirmed to be dead within their cages.
The scene was turned over to HPD for further investigation. The destroyed structure was reported to be unpermitted with an estimated loss of $25,000.