"Officials are investigating the death of a person after a fire consumed a small hotel in Hilo on the Island of Hawaii. The fire in the small Wild Ginger Hotel broke out early Wednesday morning, according to a news release from the Hawaii Police Department. The Hawaii Fire Department and South Hilo police responded at approximately 2 a.m. to the hotel, at 100 Puueo St."
"The small hotel was "fully engulfed in flames, with portions of the building already collapsed," the release said. At the time of the fire, only eight of the hotel's rooms were occupied, with two guests initially unaccounted for. After the fire was extinguished, first responders discovered "a severely burnt body." Officials have not yet released the identity of the person who died in the fire."
"The second missing person was later found unharmed, according to Hawaii News Now. "We opened the door to the hotel room and there was literally fire shooting up directly to the right side completely engulfing the entire building in flames and we had to run out and lost everything," hotel guest Luke Harmon told the news outlet. "It's total devastation. It's really awful.""
A fire consumed the Wild Ginger Hotel in Hilo early Wednesday, prompting Hawaii Fire Department and South Hilo police to respond around 2 a.m. The building was fully engulfed in flames and portions had already collapsed. Eight rooms were occupied at the time and two guests were initially unaccounted for; one person was later found dead with severe burns and the other was found unharmed. A guest reported opening a hotel room door to fire shooting up and having to flee, losing all belongings. The structure opened in 1911 as plantation worker housing, became a 27-room hotel in the 1950s, and was estimated at $1.4 million but declared a total loss.
Read at SFGATE
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