Ewa Beach blaze causes $22,000 damage

The Honolulu Fire Department said that an early morning fire caused an estimated $20,000 in damage Tuesday to an Ewa Beach townhouse utility room.

The blaze caused another $2,000 in damage to its contents, fire Capt. David Jenkins said. The cause had not yet been determined. No one was home when the fire started at the two-story townhouse at 593 Kuiloloa Place. Other townhouse complex residents evacuated after smelling smoke and hearing neighbors alert them.

The room served as an outside storage and laundry room, a fire spokesman said.

Arson is suspected in Kaneohe house fire

Honolulu Fire Department investigators determined that a Tuesday morning Kaneohe house fire was intentionally set.

The department was alerted to the fire at 45-643 Kaneke St. at around 2:44 a.m.

Capt. David Jenkins said the owner had moved out just prior to Thanksgiving.

Firefighters had the blaze under control by 2:57 a.m. and extinguished by 3:08 a.m. Damage was estimated at $80,000.

Fallen tree disrupts Pali Highway traffic

Maintenance crews closed Kailua-bound lanes of Pali Highway at the first tunnel after a tree fell around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, which disrupted both town-bound and Windward-bound morning traffic.

The tree did not land on the Kailua-bound lanes of the highway, but hung so precariously that crews blocked traffic and began cutting into it, which also caused town-bound drivers to slow, state Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said. The highway was blocked at Waokanaka Street.

DOT crews finished removing the more than 50-foot-tall tree around 9:15 a.m. and reopened all lanes.

Sakahara said the tree most likely was toppled by a combination of wind and rain. Crews had to bring in extra equipment with buckets to make sure they did not drop parts of the tree onto utility boxes and wiring above the tunnels and cause additional damage, Sakahara said.

2 men being sought in attack on employee

Police were searching Tuesday for two male suspects who allegedly assaulted an employee of a Honolulu establishment Monday night after their party left without paying their bill.

Police said on Monday five patrons left the business, allegedly without settling the tab, so the employee ran after them into the parking lot. The name of the establishment was not reported by police.

The employee was allegedly assaulted with a dangerous instrument at about 10:10 p.m., police said.

The two suspects fled the area and are wanted on suspicion of first-degree robbery.

Suspects charged with robbing woman

Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a 30-year-old Nuuanu man and a 27-year-old Kalihi woman with robbing a 28-year-old woman in Honolulu.

Police arrested Matthew White and Tasele Tui after they allegedly forcibly took items from the woman at about 10:40 p.m. Monday. The woman identified both suspects, and police arrested them at 11:10 p.m. Monday on suspicion of second-degree robbery. Both were charged with second-degree robbery.