Speed called factor in Likelike crash

A 44-year-old Kaneohe man was critically injured yesterday in an early morning collision near the Wilson Tunnel.

According to police, the man was driving a minivan at a high rate of speed on Likelike Highway when he hit a barrier wall approaching the tunnel at about 5:25 a.m.

The minivan then hit the right wall in the tunnel, rear-ended a pickup truck traveling in the same direction in the right lane, and struck the walls of the tunnel several more times before coming to a stop.

The driver of the minivan was taken to the Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition. The driver of the truck, a 67-year-old Honolulu man, was not injured.

Police said speed was a factor in the crash. It is not known whether alcohol or drugs were also involved.

Police closed the Windward-bound lanes of the highway for several hours following the accident.

Waialua house fire investigated

Honolulu firefighters were investigating yesterday the cause of a fire that burned a three-bedroom house Saturday night in Waialua’s Mill Camp.

Mill Camp security had seen homeless people living in the approximately 800-square-foot house on Polu Way since the tenants vacated at the end of June, fire officials said.

Neighbors reported smoke and flames Saturday night, and the fire was declared under control at 10:37 p.m. and extinguished about 3 1/2 hours later, fire officials said.

Fire Capt. Earle Kealoha said firefighters could not be sure yesterday whether the fire started inside or outside the house, due to the extensive damage.

There were no injuries. The damage to the structure was estimated at $100,000.