Punalu'u gallery destroyed by fire

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A fire heavily damaged the Punalu'u Art Gallery yesterday and destroyed about $100,000 in artwork.

The blaze at 53-352 Kamehameha Highway was reported at 4:37 p.m. By the time it was extinguished, it had destroyed most of the gallery, said Fire Department Capt. Kenison Tejada.

A gallery employee suffered minor facial burns but refused treatment, Tejada said. The cause of the fire, which did about $150,000 in damage to the building, was under investigation.

Carlton Ching was working at the family-run Ching's Punalu'u Store when someone ran in and asked for fire extinguishers. Ching said he rushed to the art gallery and attempted to fight the blaze.

"The fire was in the back room, maybe about 2 to 3 feet high," Ching said. "I was trying to get it with the extinguisher, but I couldn't get to the flames because there was a board blocking the way. And there were propane tanks there, so I got the hell out of there."

Police closed Kamehameha Highway in both directions for several hours. Traffic was backed up for about a mile from the gallery, Tejada said.