No injuries reported following vehicle fire

KAILUA-KONA — No injuries were reported following a vehicle fire Wednesday afternoon on Mamalahoa Highway in South Kona.

Police and fire rescue personnel responded about 1:40 p.m. to find a van with its engine engulfed in flames north of Konawaena School Road in Kealakekua.

Captain Cook Fire Station Capt. Randy Masutomi said a mother and her two children were in the van driving in the northbound lane when the mother smelled smoke. He said she immediately pulled over and then noticed fire.

A Hawaii Police Department officer who happened to be in the area helped extricate the children, Masutomi said.

“He helped get them out quickly and safely,” he said.

None of vehicle’s three occupants required hospitalization and the fire was subsequently extinguished.