One Dead, One Found After Hilo Hotel Fire

Early on Oct. 22 at about 2 a.m., a fire engulfed the Wild Ginger Hotel on the 100 block of Puueo Street in Hilo, leaving portions of the two-story building collapsed and causing an estimated $1.4 million in losses. Firefighters discovered a severely burned body in the rubble; identification via DNA testing is pending and authorities have planned a coroner’s inquest and autopsy. The hotel manager said eight rooms were occupied and two people were initially unaccounted for, but detectives later located the second person, who returned to the scene that morning in good health. Officials said no foul play is suspected, the building had been in disrepair and was undergoing repairs, and Hawaii County police and fire investigators continue to probe the cause. Authorities ask anyone with information to contact Detective Robert Kamau Jr. at (808) 961-2384, robert.kamau@hawaiipolice.gov, or to submit tips via the department’s non-emergency line or Crime Stoppers.