3 escape Waikele blaze that destroyed garage

An adult and two children escaped a fire that destroyed the garage of Waikele home last night.

A family of two adults and three children live in the house, but the three who escaped were the only ones home at the time of the fire, said fire Capt. Terry Seelig.

The fire at 94-1070 Lelehu St. in Sunset Point I was reported at 4:55 p.m.

Seelig said it could have been worse had there not been a solid-core door between the house and garage.

“;One of the children smelled smoke and saw smoke in the garage and flames,”; Seelig said.

When firefighters arrived, “;flames were rolling out of the front of the garage”; and had begun to lap around the sides of the house, Seelig said.

The fire caused an estimated $150,000 damage to the structure and $50,000 to the contents, including a sport utility vehicle parked in the driveway.

Kauai police nab man after high-speed chase

Kauai police charged a 37-year-old man with multiple violations after leading officers on a high-speed chase through Lihue early yesterday.

Timothy Geis was charged with resisting an order to stop, reckless driving, driving under the influence and driving without a valid driver license, according to a news release.

He was also cited for disregarding a stop sign, speeding and running a red light. He was released after posting $1,250 bail, the release said.

The incident began about 1:30 a.m. when an officer noticed Geis speeding west on Rice Street, the release said. The officer pursued Geis and noticed him run a red light and a stop sign while refusing a signal to stop, the release said.

The officer broke off the chase for safety reasons but resumed it with a second officer after Geis double-backed and sped past them, according to the release.

A third officer set up traffic control devices called “;stop sticks”; at the north end of the Wailua bridge on Kuhio Highway. Two of the tires on Weis' car were punctured after he drove over the sticks, the release said. Weis then surrendered to police.

Adult monk seal attacks visitor at Kauai beach

A monk seal bit a 48-year-old woman from Kirkland, Wash., who was snorkeling at Mahaulepu Beach on the south side of Kauai yesterday, according to a news release from the Kauai Fire Department.

The woman was bitten when the current carried her into an area where there were several monk seals, including an adult female and a pup, the release said. The woman was attacked by the adult female, the release said.

The woman was treated by lifeguards from Poipu and fire department personnel before being taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital.

Her injuries were described as superficial and not life threatening.