HONOLULU (KHON2) — The owners of a longtime local business are cleaning up after a fire ripped through their warehouse on Friday afternoon.
“Everything is gone,” said Nakula Tibby, the CEO of Puna Noni Naturals.
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The business was open when the fire started in a back area and quickly spread. Neighboring businesses called 911 around 3:30 p.m. after seeing heavy smoke coming out of the warehouse.
Everyone in the business got out safely but the fire destroyed 20 years of their hard work, in just one hour.
Jim Titcomb, the founder of Puna Noni said that he’s not sure whether they will stay or relocate.
“The neighbor tried to put it out but there was just too much flammable materials, boxes, bags, and a lot of our inventory. The fire spread too fast. It’s a metal building so all the heat was trapped inside. So it’s like a furnace in there, no place for the heat to escape so it was pretty much impossible for them,” said Titcomb.
Titcomb, a former firefighter, founded the company when he needed to bring his blood pressure levels down. He recalled his grandmother giving him noni juice as a child and he decided to share the health benefits with others.
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“We ask for people’s prayers. And the thing is, no one was hurt, so that’s God’s mercy. Everything damaged can be replaced.”
A GoFundMe has been setup to help the family rebuild. All current orders will be refunded as well.
The fire investigation continues.