Beauty products nearly catch fire in Hilo home

KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii Fire officials say a container of beauty products nearly caught fire late Sunday at a home in Hilo.

Responding to the 11:11 p.m. Sunday report, Hawaii Fire Department personnel arrived at 911 Waianuenue Ave. to find the home’s occupants already evacuated and sitting in a vehicle in the driveway, the department said. One of the occupants told responders that there was smoke in the home, but no fire visible.

Upon investigation, HFD personnel found a container of beauty products that appeared to be “spontaneously combusting,” melting the plastic around it, the department said. Despite the melted plastic, no flames were visible.

The container was determined to hold a beauty product known as SalonCare “Quick White,” which is a beaching powder that contains ammonium persulfate and potassium persulfate, according to the department. The strong oxidizing agents in the product appear to have caused spontaneous heating/ignition of the organic materials.

The department said personnel used a thermal imager to ensure all of the product was removed from the home. Based on the temperature measured by the thermal imager, and the melting plastic around it, the fire department said, “it was likely no more than a few hours before it would have caught fire.”

“HFD recommends that all residents regularly review their inventory of all household products that are toxic, flammable, oxidizers or expired drugs and dispose of them through the county’s hazardous waste program available on the DEM website” (hawaiizerowaste.org),” the department said in a late Sunday press release.

No injuries were reported.