Blaze shuts down Kaukonahua Road

Firefighters will return this morning to assess a brush fire that burned at least 100 acres on the Waianae side of Kaukonahua Road and forced police to close the road between Wilikina Drive and Farrington Highway for most of the night.

The blaze started at about 5:10 p.m. and forced police to close the road about 25 minutes later while firefighters entered a ravine to fight the blaze.

No property was threatened and no one was injured.

Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig said that at about 8:45 p.m. the fire was about 80 percent contained, and firefighters would return overnight if there were flare-ups.

Arrested man ID’d in bank robberies

Police have charged a man in two bank robberies that occurred last week after arresting him yesterday in a separate case.

Douglas W. Skaggs, 44, of Kaimuki was arrested yesterday morning in the robbery of a man on Tuesday night.

A man, 32, said Skaggs asked him to pick him up and take him to a house in Tantalus so they could hang out at a friend’s swimming pool, police said. Instead, police said, the suspect stopped the car on Round Top Drive, threatened the victim with a handgun, then sped off with the victim’s car and other property. Police went to arrest Skaggs after he was identified by the victim in a photo lineup.

After the suspect was in custody, he was identified as a suspect in robberies that took place in Kahala on July 28 and Manoa on July 30.

Police subsequently charged Skaggs with two counts of second-degree robbery in connection with bank robberies.

Skaggs was also charged with one count of first-degree robbery, unauthorized control of a vehicle and several drug counts. He was being held in lieu of $90,000 bail. When the suspect was arrested, police said, he had what appeared to be cocaine and drug paraphernalia on him.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Victim cut by machete

A 21-year-old Hilo man said he was attacked Thursday night by a man with a machete at Kalakaua Park.

South Hilo police, who responded to a 6:22 p.m. report of a man bleeding from the hand on Keawe Street, were initially unable to locate the victim but found him later at a home on Wainaku Street.

The victim was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was treated and released.

Blaze forces evacuation

Maui Fire Department officials were investigating the source of a brush fire that was reported shortly before midnight Thursday at the Kehalani subdivision and resulted in the evacuation of several homes.

An aerial survey will be conducted.

Just before 4 yesterday morning, the residents at the Iliahi Townhomes, the Ohia at Kehalani and the Villas were allowed to return home.

No structures were affected by the blaze, and no one was injured.