Maui blaze causes $3M in damage

Federal investigators will be looking into the cause of a fire at the Hawaiian Cement Plant on Maui that caused an estimated $3 million in damage yesterday, said Maui fire Capt. Jamie Joyo.

Firefighters arrived at the plant on Mokulele Highway at 4:12 a.m. and brought the fire under control in two hours. The fire was extinguished at 7 a.m.

Officials said that the structure, conveyor belts and the plant's electrical systems were burned.

No one was injured in the fire.

Canoe crashes into windshield, killing driver

A 49-year-old California man died yesterday after a canoe on a runaway trailer crashed through his windshield in Kona, Big Island police said.

At 8:48 a.m. a trailer carrying three canoes disconnected from a pickup truck, crossed the median of Queen Kaahumanu Highway near Makala Boulevard and hit the victim's oncoming 2009 Ford SUV.

One of the canoes crashed through the windshield and struck the driver, police said.

He was taken to Kona Community Hospital where he died at 9:45 a.m. His name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, police said.

The driver of the pickup hauling the trailer, a 36-year-old Lahaina man, and his passengers were not injured.

Traffic enforcement officers have opened a negligent-homicide investigation and ordered an autopsy.

Wildfire fully contained in Waiawa after 3 days

The Waiawa wildfire was fully contained yesterday afternoon, according to a Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters will continue to monitor the area for hot spots before declaring it completely extinguished, said fire Capt. Terry Seelig.

About 50 firefighters contained the wildfire at 4 p.m. with eight engines, four water tankers and one helicopter and aircraft tender, Seelig said. A combination of ground crews with hose lines and hand tools and Fire Department helicopter water drops stopped the 250-acre fire from spreading, he said.

The fire started at 12:35 p.m. Saturday and closed the Wahiawa-bound lanes of H-2 freeway for five hours while firefighters battled the blaze. There were no reported injuries or property damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Woman identifies husband as assailant

A 64-year-old Waipahu man has been charged with second-degree attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill his wife.

Herminio Sol was being held yesterday on $100,000 bail, after he was charged Saturday.

Police said Sol stabbed his 41-year-old wife in the neck at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The woman was taken in critical condition to the Queen's Medical Center, where her condition was later upgraded to serious.

Police said the woman identified her husband as the person who stabbed her.

20 drivers are arrested in alcohol-related cases

Honolulu police arrested 20 drivers across the island for driving under the influence in a nine-hour period this Labor Day weekend.

Six of those booked were repeat offenders and posted a higher bail of $1,000.

Nine of the drivers were women.

The arrests occurred between 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 6:10 a.m. Sunday. The location of the arrests included Farrington Highway in Waianae, Kalanianaole Highway, H-1 freeway offramps, H-3 freeway, Waikiki and Kaimuki.

Pearlridge bank robber, 30, turns himself over

A 30-year-old bank robber turned himself in less than 12 hours after robbing a Pearlridge bank, police said.

The man, of no local address, walked into the bank at about 10:35 a.m. Saturday and gave a teller a note demanding money.

The teller, a 21-year-old woman, handed the man some cash before he fled.

Police said the man called at 9:50 that night to come clean. He was identified in a police lineup and arrested yesterday morning.

Infant boy rescued from near drowning

Honolulu paramedics rescued an infant boy who nearly drowned in a swimming pool Saturday in Wahiawa.

At about 3 p.m. bystanders pulled the boy, who was younger than 5, out of a Kilani Street swimming pool and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, said Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokesman Bryan Cheplic. Paramedics stabilized the boy and took him in critical condition to a hospital.