Fire at HC&S Mill Causes $13,000 Damage

HC&S Puʻunēnē Mill. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

An accidental fire at the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company Mill in Puʻunēnē caused an estimated $13,000 in damage to equipment at the facility, fire officials said.

The incident was reported at 12:29 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013.

When responding firefighters arrived on scene, crews found a conveyor belt within the mill on fire, which had ignited the bagasse that was being transported on it, said Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga.

The building’s sprinkler system was activated during the incident, helping to confine the fire to area around the conveyor belt, fire officials said.