A container on a truck trailer caught on fire early this morning at the Target in Kona, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department.
At 1:44 a.m., firefighters got a call about the fire at the parking area in front of Target, and were able to put it out by 4:30 a.m. A total of 16 personnel responded, along with a backhoe.
Upon arrival, the firefighters found a 40-foot container on a trailer with the rear door entry area on fire next to Target’s loading zone entry door. Flames and dark, black smoke were visible near the bottom of the trailer, according to firefighters, who determined that the container’s contents included a mix of merchandise, including propane and helium gas cylinders, which were detonating.
The fire department said it initially used turrets to prevent the fire from spreading to the big box store. Eventually, a Meadow Gold truck driver arrived on scene and helped move the container away from the building so that the fire could be extinguished.