An early-morning fire on Saturday at a former poi factory in Hilo killed two people and displaced 28 residents. The blaze, at a building near Waiakea Villas and across from the Hilo Shopping Center, was reported just before 4 a.m. Firefighters arrived quickly and found flames consuming about 60% of the structure, KITV reports.
Residents Liza Arias and her brother Ralph reported hearing an altercation and screams just before noticing the fire, Hawaii News Now reports. Firefighters searched the two-story building after controlling the blaze and found two bodies in separate locations.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 1 p.m., and no additional injuries were reported. The fire displaced residents, and the American Red Cross is assisting with temporary housing, Hawaii Fire Department battalion chief Matthew Ho told Hawaii News Now.
Many residents lost their belongings in the fire. Some had to jump from the building to escape, and one resident, Liza Arias, suffered a minor burn. The identities of the deceased have not been released, and the fire department continues to investigate the cause.
