VIDEO: The Hawaiสปi Police Department is investigating a deadly commercial building fire that took place Wednesday morning in Hilo.
HPD and the Hawaiสปi Fire Department first responded to reports of a fire at approximately 2 a.m. First responders arrived within minutes to find the Wild Ginger Hotel fully engulfed in flames, with part of the building already collapsed.
โThis is a pretty large commercial, two story hotel. Itโs been in some disrepair over the years, but by the time they got there, flames had already got to the front of the building. It seemed to have burned through the entire length of the building and there was already signs of collapse,โ explained deputy Hawaii fire chief Daniel Volpe.
Initially, officials said the manager of the hotel said that eight rooms were occupied during the blaze, and two occupants were unaccounted for. However, by the afternoon one of the persons was found who had self-evacuated from the fire.
HFD worked to extinguish the fire, and found a severely burnt body during the process. Investigators said DNA testing will need to be done to identify the remains.
Residents next door said they woke up to the sound of yelling. โWhen I looked out the back door you could see one of the windows was up in flames, it wasnโt the whole place yet โ just a spot, and I woke my partner up and we went to the lanai to see it,โ explained Daniel Hernandez.
โYou could feel it, like the heat radiating from how intense it was,โ he added. He said the building was fully engulfed within 10 minutes.
HFD and police are working to investigate the scene. Police said foul play is not suspected at this time.
The structure and its contents were determined to be a total loss, with an estimated value of $1.4 million.
KHON-TV FOX 2 Honolulu
