Fire damages Lihue Civic Center, forces closure of public offices

LIHUE (HawaiiNewsNow) – A fire at the Lihue Civic Center damaged the Kapule Building Wednesday night and will keep several county offices closed until further notice.

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Kauai Fire Department crews were called to the civic center on Rice Street shortly before 8:50 p.m. after reports of a fire.

Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the Kapule Building and worked for several hours before extinguishing the fire around 2:15 a.m. Thursday.

No injuries were reported.

Crews from Lihue, Kapaa and Koloa responded, along with airport firefighters, Kauaʻi police, AMR, the Hawaii National Guard, Kauai Emergency Management Agency and other county personnel.

“Our island relies on the services in our Kapule Building, from the DMV to Real Property to our IT services, we are heartbroken, but this is only a small hurdle as we continue on our path toward recovery with everyone here on Kauai and Niihau,” Mayor Derek Kawakami said.

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The Kapule Building houses several key county services, including the DMV, Real Property Assessment, planning, building and zoning permits, IT services, solid waste offices and sewer billing.

All public offices and services at the Lihue Civic Center will remain closed until further notice.

Motor vehicle services are still available at the Kapaa satellite DMV while the Lihue office remains closed.

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Kauai police blocked a portion of Kuhio Highway while crews worked at the scene.

The cause of the fire and damage estimates remain under investigation.