KAHANA -- An early morning fire scorched a two-story commercial building fronting the Valley Isle Resort in Kahana today.
Lower Honoapiilani Highway remains closed from Hoohui Road to the entrance of the Valley Isle Resort which is at 4327 Lower Honoapiilani.
Fire crews were dispatched to the area at 6:01 a.m. Multiple crews were still on scene at 11:15 a.m. conducting exterior fire fighting work, fire officials said. There were no reports of injuries.
The 12-story Valley Isle Resort behind the commercial building was evacuated. Fire officials did not know how many people were evacuated, although more than 50 displaced guests and curious bystanders watched fire crews douse the blaze.
The fire was contained to the commercial building and did not spread to the resort, fire officials said.
Witnesses reported that a fire broke out at the Maui Muscle Sports Club Kahana in the men's locker room sauna early this morning.
The club's front desk attendant Katrina Yarborough said she smelled smoke and went investigate.
When she went to the second floor and opened the men's locker room door she saw that the sauna was smoking.
"I kind of thought it was no big deal. Just turn it off," Yarborough said. "I saw the flames and (then) thought it was (the) real deal."
So she and another worker and another gym member were able to evacuate everyone out of the gym.
Nine fire apparatuses and 60 fire personnel responded to the blaze.
For more on the story see tomorrow's edition of The Maui News.
