Boulder falls into Aina Haina garage

A 5-foot boulder rolled down an Aina Haina hillside and struck a garage on Hao Street yesterday.

No one was injured when the boulder struck the home at 458 Hao St. Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the Aina Haina homeowner did not call the fire department until 8 a.m.

Homeowner Noah Fiddler said this morning that he noticed the boulder yesterday afternoon. "Luckily, the garage is away from the house, so we don’t know when it hit the wall," he added.

The boulder hit the back left corner of the garage and cracked a hollow-tile wall, Seelig said. "It is not an immediate hazard."

Fiddler said he is aware of the problem of boulders rolling from the steep hillside behind his home.

"We have been watching boulders fall during the 25 years we have lived here," said Fiddler, "but this is the first time one has ever hit us."

His problem now is trying to find out who owns the property behind his home. "I know some of the portions of the hill are conservation land owned by the state and there are some private owners."

This is not the first time boulders have fallen on Hao Street, which runs deep into Aina Haina valley below Waialae Iki.

In November 2007, during a heavy rain storm a 4-foot boulder crashed into the rear of a house on Hao Street while a man inside watched television. The boulder damaged a window, a hollow-tile wall and part of the roof.

Last week’s rains dislodged a boulder that crashed into an Aiea home at 99-868 Holoai St. Saturday, injuring two people.