Fire/rescue responded to a 12:19 a.m. alarm Saturday (Sept 5) to a structure fire at the corner of Kahilu Road and Pualahilahi Alanui Road in Waimea.

Crews arrived to find a 16,000 square-foot former boat building facility about 75 percent on fire with flames coming out of the windows and roof. Several vehicles at the scene were also on fire. The fire spread rapidly due to the boat building materials within the building with fiberglass supplies, boat molds and cardboard boxes cluttering the interior.

Firefighters had a difficult time getting the blaze under control due to the large amount of debris and the collapsed metal roof of the building. It took fire crews until 11:15 a.m. to have the blaze under control as a large number of spectators gathered at the site to watch.

The boat building facility had not been used for over 10 years and the structure was used for storage and farming supplies. A small 12×24 foot house semi-attached to the structure was saved by firefighters.

There was nobody at the facility when the fire started. The loss was estimated to be $200,000 with $5,000 saved from damage.

There were no injuries reported and Kahilu Road was temporarily closed as crews fought the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.