HILO — A man in his 60s was found dead in a Hawaiian Beaches home early Monday morning by firefighters.
According to a written Hawaii Fire Department statement, the call was received at 6:37 a.m. with the first of eight units arriving at the Aholehole Street home at 6:44 a.m.
The man’s housemate told firefighters that the man had barricaded himself in a bathroom and set the contents afire.
Firefighters made forced entry into the locked bathroom and found the man dead next to a smoldering pile of clothes and linens, with heavy smoke and heat in the unventilated bathroom.
The fire was extinguished, with minimal damage to the house, and the scene was turned over to fire inspectors and police, who continue to investigate.
Authorities have not released the decedent’s identity.