Candle ignites shack

A candle that was knocked over early Sunday morning burned an unpermitted shack in Keaau and left a female occupant with minor heat exposure to her feet, Hawaii County fire officials said.

The fire was reported at 3:50 a.m. on Ohelo Street and the first firefighters arrived at 4:10 a.m.

They found a 12-foot-by-20-foot shack and its tarp roof engulfed in flames, along with nearby brush.

The occupant told firefighters she accidentally knocked over a lit candle.

Firefighters had the blaze out at 5 a.m. The occupant declined medical treatment.