FL MORRIS / STAR-BULLETIN
A firefighter and a Burger King official inspect kitchen damage
at the restaurant at Kaahumanu Street and Kamehameha Highway.
Fire officials blamed the blaze on grease.

Grease fire spreads
to roof at often busy
Burger King

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By Rod Antone
Star-Bulletin

Having it done "your way" caused $160,000 in fire damage to the Pearl City Burger King yesterday afternoon. Fire investigators say an accumulation of grease in the ducts above the fast-food restaurant's flame-broiler caught fire, setting the building's rooftop ablaze.

Witnesses nearby reported seeing four-foot-high flames a little before 1 p.m. Firefighters got the fire under control within 11 minutes of their arrival at the restaurant at 98-1214 Kaahumanu Street.

Fighting the fire also cost about a dozen desserts at Kyotaru, a Japanese restaurant next door. Kyotaru assistant manager Mark Yamasake said a fire hose running across his driveway prevented some of his customers from leaving.

To keep everyone happy Yamasake gave out free desserts. "Shave ice, key lime pie, whatever they wanted." said Yamasake. Yamasake also said there were not very many customers at Burger King at the time because of the Prince Kuhio Day holiday.

The restaurant on the corner of Kaahumanu and Kamehameha Highway is one of the busier Burger King's in the state, according to Fire Department spokesman Richard Soo.