A fire destroyed a 400-square-foot storage building at the rear of the vacant Hilo Lanes bowling alley early Sunday morning.
According to the Hawaii Fire Department, nine units responded to the 2:19 a.m. alarm with the first unit arriving two minutes later. The fire was reportedly under control by 2:40 a.m. and extinguished at 3 a.m.
There was minimal incursion by the fire into the main bowling alley structure, which is owned by Hilo Lanes Inc.
The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs website lists Renton L.K. Nip as Hilo Lanes’ president, Robert L.S. Nip as vice president, Roanne Kaopua as secretary-treasurer and Roland Nip as director.
Damage was estimated at $40,000.
No injuries were reported nor was a cause for the fire.
Hawaii Electric Light Co. also responded because of possible downed live electrical wires, and police responded to control the scene and interview potential witnesses.
The Hilo Lanes property is the subject of a lawsuit by M.S. Petroleum Corp., which is owned by Hilo businesswoman Lorraine Shin, who claims Hilo Lanes Inc. reneged on a signed deal to sell the property to M.S. Petroleum.
The suit, which was filed in April 2016, is being heard in Kona Circuit Court because both Hilo circuit judges recused themselves from the case.
The complaint alleges that on Nov. 30, 2015, Hilo Lanes entered an agreement to sell the bowling alley, which has been vacant since May 2014, to M.S. Petroleum for $2.5 million, an escrow account was set up with First American Title Co. and Shin expended about $30,000 on deposits and other expenses related to buying the 52,878-square-foot building on 3.7 acres of commercially zoned land.
The suit claims the seller is now refusing to convey the property to Shin, although she is in compliance with the purchase and sale agreement, including obtaining a mortgage for the purchase price of the property, minus deposits in escrow.
The filing requests that Hilo Lanes be required to convey the deed to Shin’s company in exchange for the agreed-upon purchase price, that Hilo Lanes be prohibited from transferring title to anyone else, and also seeks costs and attorney’s fees.
Kona Circuit Judge Melvin Fujino in June denied Hilo Lanes’ motion for summary judgment — in essence, dismissal of M.S. Petroleum’s case — saying that after review of the files and records in the case, there are genuine issues of material facts to be resolved.
Court records do not indicate any further court dates or a settlement in the case.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
