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Third blaze at Pupukea
By Harold Morse
home sets off fireworks
Star-BulletinThe third of three deliberately set fires at the same North Shore home caused aerial fireworks in storage to go off, and both fire and police investigations are continuing.
More than 200 aerial fireworks that did not go off during Wednesday night's fire were later recovered from the site by the police bomb squad. The fire caused $135,000 in damage.
Fire Capt. Richard Soo said the first deliberately set fire at the four-bedroom home at 59-456 Pupukea Road, where nine people lived, was set about 7:30 p.m. March 25. It was a small fire with little damage, Soo said.
A second fire there, at 7:37 p.m. Wednesday, did a small amount of damage, Soo said. Those first two fires were set with ignitable liquid poured at two different spots under the home to start separate fires, he said.
Investigators are calling the third, more-destructive fire incendiary, but have yet to pinpoint a specific cause, Soo said. That blaze started at 11:34 p.m. Wednesday and was under control at 12:04 a.m. There were no injuries.
The exploding fireworks were a result of the third fire, not its cause, he said. "I guess they were throughout the house." Investigators later found a stash of more stored, unexploded aerials.
"Neighbors heard explosions during the course of the last fire," Soo said, and the police bomb squad was called to remove aerial fireworks.
Police detectives have started their own investigation, Soo said.
