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HPD tries to end
rings of fire
The Leeward side suffers
500 brush fires this year
Police say they have no leads on the blazes
Campbell Estates offers a reward for any arrests
» Big Isle fire burns historical park
Honolulu police are asking residents to report any suspicious activity along the Leeward Coast, where a large number of brush fires may have been deliberately started in the last 30 days.
Police said firefighters saw flares and fireworks being lit in the distance as they were fighting a fire in Kalaeloa near Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park Monday afternoon. Shortly afterward, police said another fire broke out in the area where the fireworks were spotted.
"There are remnants of fireworks and flares," Kapolei police Maj. Michael Tamashiro said. "It appears these are not from the roadside, that people are walking in and setting these fires. They know what they're doing."
The Kalaeloa brush fire was one of six Monday which burned about 116 acres between 1 and 5:40 p.m. Firefighters responded to brush fires at Yokohama Bay, Nanakuli and two in Makaha and one in Waianae.
Some of the burnt acreage included land owned by Campbell Estate, which is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of anyone who may have started Monday's fires.
Campbell officials said radio station KSSK has agreed to take the calls for information during this morning's Perry and Price radio show. Police ask people with information to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on their cell phones.
"We suffer these fire every summer but our main concern are for the health and safety of the community and for the welfare of the firefighters who have had to contend with so many fires," said Campbell CEO Steve Macmillan said in a news release.
Monday's fires are the latest in the 500 plus brush fires so far this year. Police have already asked Waianae Neighborhood Board members to be on the lookout for suspicious activity and plan to make the same request at a board meeting in Ewa Beach tomorrow.
Although there have been plenty of unconfirmed reports about juveniles throwing fireworks out of cars and seen riding mopeds near the fires, police have not developed any leads involving any of the brush fires.
"We have no leads or witnesses," said CrimeStoppers Coordinator Sgt. Kim Capllonch. "If a car pulls over on the side of the street near the brush fires and someone sees someone running through the brush, we want to know about it."
The fires have started in remote areas and away from likely sources of ignition, including overhead powerlines, camping sites or roads where a cigarette could be flicked into dry grass and bushes from moving vehicles.
Tamashiro said the only tactic left to his officers are to concentrate on locations that have not been set on fire yet.
"We're trying to narrow down what's left," he said. "It's a hell of a way to do business but I don't know what else to do."
"Fortunately, we have not had any property damage or deaths yet but we want to apprehend these people before this happens."
There have been some close calls. So far this year, the Fire Department has responded to more than 500 Leeward brush fires, surpassing the 254 brush fires last year.
"It would be nice to catch these guys and string them up by their thumbs," Waianae Neighborhood Board Chairwoman Cynthia Rezentes said.
Since May, police have arrested three teenagers for different fires in Nanakuli, Barbers Point and Maili. In those cases, police either received tips on the suspect's identity or the suspects turned themselves into custody.
"It's really a cat-and-mouse game going back and forth," Tamashiro said. "We have our officers out there night and day, but we're talking about miles and miles of coastline."
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Maui blazes snarl traffic
Tourists and workers alike
are stuck along Honoapiilani
WAILUKU » Multiple fires along a major Maui highway delayed thousands of motorists, prevented some from reaching work and kept some visitors from making their flights yesterday.
Traffic backed up for more than 10 miles along Honoapiilani Highway in West Maui yesterday morning as firefighters fought a brush blaze along the Lahaina pali near McGregor Point. The backup continued late into the night, as firefighters checked for the possibility of a second brush fire in a wooded area above Lahaina.
"We're telling people unless you have to get a flight and to Kahului Airport, don't bother trying to get to the other side," said Frank Lavey, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Maui.
Lavey said his staff was down to 60 percent yesterday because many were unable to get to work, but the rest of the crew maintained normal operations.
"Everybody's pretty understanding," he said.
At least a couple of airlines, including Aloha Airlines, said some visitors missed their flights to the mainland but were put on later flights without additional charge.
Several visitors said they were still enjoying their trip to Maui, despite the delays.
Paul Kollasch of Vacaville, Calif., said he and his family got up at 5 a.m. yesterday and took more than two hours to drive from Lahaina to Maalaea to go on a trip to Molokini island.
Kollasch said after arriving at Maalaea, he found the trip was canceled because the captain and crew were unable to get to work due to the traffic tie-up.
He said his family then took about an hour to go back to Lahaina, where the charter tour gave them an upgrade for a trip to Lanai.
Family members said they weren't upset and pointed out the calm sunny weather around them.
Trilogy Excursions Captain Brian Richard said they were waiting for nine to 12 customers and also a captain and first mate who were on the road between central Maui and Lahaina.
"We're just telling them we'll wait as long as we can," he said.
The two-lane highway connecting scores of major hotels and resort condominiums to the Kahului Airport was shut down from about 1:10 to 7 a.m. yesterday before one lane was reopened, fire officials said.
By about 2 p.m. yesterday, the alternating one-lane traffic was moving but still backed up a total of about seven miles from Ukumehame to Maalaea.
Battalion Chief Alan Pascua said yesterday the fire was contained but firefighters were still putting out flare-ups last night.
He said the burn area extended for about a mile along Honoapiilani Highway and from sea level to 450-feet elevation.
Pascua said initial reports indicated there were at least four different points of origin for the fire but there could have been more that went undetected because of the fire spreading and combining with each other.
Some brush fires have started in similarly suspicious way in the past week or two, and fire officials are continuing to investigate the cause of them and the one yesterday, Fire Battalion Chief Frank Tam said.
Firefighting efforts were hampered by the mountainous terrain and winds blowing about 15 to 20 mph near the highway.
A county helicopter made water drops, and fire and county water tankers were brought in to help to fight the blaze.
Big Isle fire burns
historical Lapakahi park
LAPAKAHI, Hawaii » A 150-acre brush and grass fire burned through stone archaeological sites at Lapakahi State Historical Park on the Big Island yesterday without damaging them, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The fire, reported at 5:57 a.m., did not threaten buildings or cause injuries, the Hawaii County Fire Department said. The cause was not immediately determined.
The 262-acre shoreline park near the northern tip of the Big Island preserves the remains of Lapakahi village, created around 1300 A.D., and shows how Hawaiians used fishing and dry land agriculture to live in the sunny, semi-arid area.
The fire burned through the northern area of the park containing rock enclosures, shelters, and walls, Ward said. No inventory was immediately available of the sites affected.
Preliminary reports indicated the fire missed the central part of the park where an interpretive building and the main visitor area are located. A similar fire in May burned south of the interpretive center.
A bulldozer was brought to the scene to cut a fire break, and state archaeologist Mary Anne Maigret supervised its use to ensure that it would not destroy sites, Ward said.
Since the fire would not destroy stone features, the policy was, "If it burns, it burns," Ward said.
Two county helicopters were used to make water drops, the county Fire Department said.
Sixteen units were used, including the helicopters as well as tankers and "brush trucks," designed for off-road fire fighting, the department said.
Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira said firefighting efforts were helped by moderate winds that blew the fire toward the sea, where it ran out of fuel. However, hot spots such as burning logs continued to pose a hazard until the department declared the fire contained about 5 p.m. A crew was to monitor the area throughout the night.
Police closed eight miles of Akoni Pule Highway past the area from 6:45 to 10:08 a.m. One lane was then open until a complete reopening at 2:45 p.m.
Although the original village was eventually abandoned, a few people lived there as recently as the early 20th century, Ward said.
Gov. John A. Burns declared the area a park in 1973, the same year the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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