DLNR officials looking for person of interest in Mauna Kea road obstruction

State Department of Land and Natural Resources officials are looking for a man who might have placed rocks on Mauna Kea Access Road on May 16.

The rocks were placed at the 5.5-mile marker of the summit road and created a potential safety hazard because they were on the downhill lane, DLNR officials said in a news release.

A security camera at the Hale Pohaku visitor center showed a shirtless man in board shorts carrying a plastic gallon container and a black backpack while walking uphill along the road.

A telescope worker later confirmed seeing the same man at the time the rocks were placed on the road.

The DLNR is asking anyone who has any information to contact the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.

Two new lava flows spotted at Puu Oo vent

Hawaii County Civil Defense and geologists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory are watching two new lava flows from the Puu Oo vent that began Tuesday morning.

The larger breakout, on the northeast flank of Puu Oo, is moving northwest in the Kahaualea Natural Area Reserve. The smaller breakout from the east flank is moving southeast.

Neither breakout extends beyond the existing flow fields.

The lava flows do not pose an immediate threat to nearby communities, Hawaii County Civil Defense said.

Man vacuuming fuel sparks Kula house fire

A 65-year-old man using a shop vacuum to remove fuel from a power generator started a fire that destroyed his home in Kula on Tuesday, Maui firefighters said.

The man was removing the fuel from the generator outside his home on Keanuhea Place in Keokea at about 8:10 a.m. when the fuel ignited and the fire spread to the rest of his home, said a Maui Fire Department spokesman.

The man’s wife was not home at the time, and the man escaped with minor injuries.

The 1,200-square foot, one-story home was destroyed, and the cost of damage to the structure, its contents and a vehicle parked outside was estimated at $225,000.

Hikers rescued after crew alerted to SOS

The Coast Guard rescued two hikers Tuesday after they were stranded overnight on the Na Pali Coast Trail and wrote “SOS” in the sand at Kalalau Beach on Kauai.

A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was conducting a training mission in the area when they overheard a radio conversation mention “SOS” written in the sand, the Coast Guard said.

The crew diverted from their training and flew to the area to see two people on the beach waving their arms.

A rescue swimmer was lowered and found that one of the hikers had an ankle injury that prevented him from walking. At about 9:30 a.m. both hikers were hoisted aboard the helicopter and taken to Lihue Airport where paramedics were waiting. The hikers were in stable condition.