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Elderly woman missing after fire destroys Big Island home

An elderly woman remains missing after a raging fire destroyed a Pahala home Saturday and caused $375,000 in damage, Hawaii island firefighters said today.

Firefighters were still trying to determine the cause of the blaze, which began in the downstairs area of a two-story home at 96-1150 Kamami St. about 1:20 p.m. Saturday.

Arriving firefighters found the downstairs kitchen, carport, and an SUV in flames that were approaching the downstairs main living area.

A male who had sustained injuries was able to get out on his own, but the woman was unaccounted for. Firefighters performed an aggressive attack to try to find the woman, but strong winds and a large amount of material in the home fed an intense fire that drove back firefighters.

About 16 firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the single-family home and extinguished it by 4:30 p.m.

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