Arson has essentially been ruled as the cause of a recent fire at Suisan that destroyed the 106-year-old food distributor’s business and office building last week, a Hawaii Fire Department official said Monday.
The blaze, which broke out about 10:32 p.m. Thursday and wasn’t declared extinguished until 3:30 a.m. Friday, destroyed the 16,000-square-foot building located at 1965 Kamehameha Ave.
Fire department assistant fire chief Gantry Andrade said Monday that Kaimi, a fire-accelerant-sniffing dog, did not detect any accelerants during an inspection of the damage.
“That kind of rules out foul play,” he said.
Andrade also said there were no signs of malicious intent, and county officials, along with a private investigator that Suisan Company Ltd. hired, are still searching for the root of the fire.
“We’re still looking for the origin and cause,” Andrade said. “Have to remove a lot of debris and a lot of metal. The roof needs to be removed so they can get in there.”
Employees with Keaau-based construction company Earth Karvers Hawaii were removing large amounts of metal debris from the dilapidated building Monday morning.
Suisan representatives are saying the fire is not effecting the company’s sales and distribution department, and that calls are being routed to its Kona office.
According to a prepared statement, less than one-third of the impacted building, about 5,000 square feet, housed overflow storage, both dry and frozen.
While Suisan representatives are saying it’s “business as usual,” the company is dealing with cleanup and environmental concerns, as well as getting a new office outfitted. Suisan moved 40 employees to a temporary office space Monday.
Suisan president Glenn Hashimoto, who replaced longtime president Rex Matsuno on Jan. 1, was not available to comment on Monday or Tuesday. Currently all questions are being handled through a public relations firm.
He was quoted in a prepared statement saying, “our Suisan team has rolled forward so well to make sure our customers get the service they have come to expect from us.”
Some questions are still left unanswered, including whether any members of the staff were working at the warehouse when the fire broke out, as well as the estimated cost of the damage.
Suisan employs 175 people on the Big Island and serves hotels, supermarkets, schools and restaurants, as well as its other global customers.
Email Megan Moseley at mmoseley@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
