One dead, one missing after hotel blaze in Hilo
COURTESY GOOGLEMAPS
This image from Googlemaps shows the small hotel at 100 Puueo St. in Hilo that burned down early today, killing one person. Police are searching for another person who was unaccounted for after the blaze.
One person is dead and another is missing after an early-morning fire destroyed a small Hilo hotel today.
At about 2 a.m., police officers and firefighters responded to the blaze at the Wild Ginger Hotel on the 100 block of Puueo Street. The structure was engulfed in flames upon arrival, with parts of the building already collapsed, according to the Hawaii Police Department. Police and fire officials are investigating the cause of the blaze.
The hotel manager reported that eight rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, and all but two guests were accounted for, police said.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, a severely burned body was discovered in the remnants of the structure. The search for the unaccounted person is ongoing.
An autopsy is scheduled for later this week to determine the exact cause of the victim’s death, police said. The victim’s identity is being withheld, pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
The structure and its contents, estimated to be worth $1,402,100, were determined to be “a total loss,” police said in a news release.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact Detective Robert Kamau at 808-961-2384 or at robert.kamau@hawaiipolice.gov. Anonymous tips can also be reported to Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.
