Fire caused by light bulb knocks PBS Hawaii off air

An exploding light bulb at PBS Hawaii’s television studio lit a fire in ceiling insulation on Nov. 18 and knocked Hawaii's only public broadcast station off the air. No one was injured, but more than 50 people had to evacuate the building on the Manoa campus of the University of Hawaii.

The fire was contained shortly after it broke out at about 11 a.m. at the corner of Dole Street and University Avenue, according to PBS Hawaii President and CEO Leslie Wilcox. However, the station’s only studio was filled with smoke, and the entire PBS staff of 33 people, as well as about 20 people in a UH classroom, had to be evacuated, she said.

The station was off the air and without electricity Friday afternoon, but power was restored over the weekend, and the station was soon back on the air. The fire department estimated the damage at $250,000, but Wilcox said that was conservative and that it would probably cost more to replace everything that was lost.

It’s not uncommon for television lights to explode, said Wilcox, who recalled that it happened years ago at KGMB when she was anchoring a newscast. PBS Hawaii is more than halfway through a capital fund-raising campaign for its new headquarters, which will be built on a 45,000-square-foot lot at 315 Sand Island Access Road. Construction is planned to start in 2013, Wilcox said.