2 Kauai visitors drown in separate incidents

Two tourists apparently drowned in separate incidents on Kauai yesterday, the Kauai County Fire Department said.

In the first incident, a 20-year-old man from North Carolina died after snorkeling at Waiohai in Poipu.

The man was found floating face down 20 feet from shore at about 1 p.m., the Fire Department said.

Lifeguards from Poipu performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as did firefighters and medics from Koloa when they arrived.

The man was pronounced dead at Wilcox Memorial Hospital.

Less than a half-hour later, a 41-year-old man from Portland, Ore., was swimming with his 32-year-old brother at Kauapea Beach near Kilauea when both men were swept out by a strong current, the Fire Department said.

A nearby surfer swam to assist the visitors and brought the younger brother to shore, the Fire Department said. The younger brother then grabbed a “;rescue tube”; and swam back out to help his older brother but found him floating face down in the water, according to the Fire Department. The older brother was pronounced dead at Wilcox Hospital.

The names of the victims were not released.

2 Kona brush fires burn but no homes in danger

Big Island firefighters continue to fight two brush fires in Kona. Hawaii County Civil Defense said one fire was burning mauka of Kealakekua, about seven miles above Kealakekua Ranch Center. The other fire was burning in Honomalino, about six miles mauka of the 93-mile marker of Highway 11.

Neither fire is threatening homes, civil defense said, but smoke from the fires is affecting South Kona and Kau, particularly in the early to midmorning hours.

Injured hiker airlifted out of Kalalau trail

A Kauai County rescue crew airlifted an injured hiker off the Kalalau trail yesterday, the Fire Department said.

The woman, 26, of Enterprise, Ala., had injured her left ankle at about the 8-mile marker, the department said.

Another hiker called police at about 3 p.m. asking for help for the woman.

She was flown to Princeville Airport and then taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital.

Her condition was not available.