Hazardous conditions at Sack-n-Save in Downtown Hilo was reported, resulting in the store’s evacuation and temporary closure to the public. On Wednesday, May 5th, Hawaii Fire Department Company 1 responded to a call concerning unknown white smoke coming from a machine room located in the back of the store. The smoke quickly spread to the store floor, causing concerns for the safety of customers and staff.
Upon arrival, Haz Mat Company members confirmed the presence of an unknown haze/smoke but found no signs of heat or fire. The store was immediately evacuated, and all staff members were accounted for with no complaints reported. Air sampling and monitoring were performed to assess the situation, and it was later identified as freon gas escaping from a damaged refrigerator system compressor.
A system technician was brought in to make repairs to the damaged compressor, and the store was scheduled to remain closed to the public for the night to complete ventilation. The store is expected to reopen tomorrow.
Sack-n-Save is taking this incident seriously and is working diligently to ensure that the store is safe for both staff and customers.