Lunalilo’s restored tomb will be blessed
The restored tomb of a monarch of the kingdom of Hawaii will receive a blessing.
King William Charles Lunalilo’s tomb on the grounds of historic Kawaiaha‘o Church in Honolulu will be blessed today during a ceremony celebrating its restoration.
Lunalilo was sixth of eight monarchs of the kingdom. He ruled for one year before his death in 1874.
His will established and funded the Lunalilo Home for sick and poor Hawaiians. Today the home provides senior care.
The tomb restoration started in early 2011 and was completed earlier this month.
Dump Christmas trees to avoid fire hazard
Oahu residents are being advised by the Honolulu Fire Department to remove and recycle their natural Christmas trees as soon as possible.
"A dry Christmas tree is a serious fire hazard," Fire Chief Kenneth Silva said. "While the tree itself won’t start a fire, it is a fuel source that burns very fast and hot and can cause a fire to spread rapidly."
The department advises that Christmas trees or clippings should not be burned in a fireplace or a bonfire. Residents should place the trees at the curb on green waste collection day or drop them off at a city convenience center or composting facility.
Cause of house fire on Hawaii island unknown
A house fire in the Glenwood area of Hawaii island caused about $50,000 in damage Saturday, fire officials said.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze at a Leila Road residence.
The fire was reported at 3:08 p.m., brought under control at 3:25 p.m. and extinguished 20 minutes later.
One occupant was home at the time but escaped. He suffered minor injuries but refused treatment.
The structure is described as a 1,200-square-foot single-family home.
Fire officials said a malfunctioning water heater may have caused the fire, but the investigation is ongoing and no official determination has been made.
Buoy off Maui tracks waves, water levels
A new buoy north of Maui is providing wave height and water level measurements to recreational and commercial mariners who use Kahului Harbor and for surfers at the popular Peahi break.
The Datawell Mark II Waverider Buoy was deployed Dec. 3 in 700 feet of water north of Kahului as part of the University of Hawaii’s Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, or PacIOOS.
The buoy joins a network of six real-time wave buoys in Hawaii, Guam and the Marshall Islands to provide streaming data on wave height, direction, period and water temperature to the PacIOOS website (www.pacioos.org), to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego and via Twitter @buoy51205.
The buoy will provide critical information for coastal hazard and low-lying inundation forecasts for north-facing shores.
