4 escape house fire that kills dog
Fire caused about $240,000 in damage to an Aiea house Tuesday morning, displacing four people and killing the family dog.
The cause of the fire at the single-family home, 98-344 Pono St., was accidental, having been caused by unattended cooking, said fire spokesman Capt. Carlton Yamada.
Yamada said the fire caused $200,000 in damage to the structure and $40,000 worth of damage to its contents. The interior of the building was 40 percent damaged by the fire, he said.
Smoke from the fire, which was reported at 6:22 p.m., spread across the H-1 freeway near Kaonohi Street.
Firefighters extinguished the fire by 6:56 a.m., Yamada said. The fire apparently started in the kitchen and spread to the living room and at least one bedroom, he added.
The occupants of the home, an elderly couple and their grandson and great-grandson, were able to escape the fire without injury.
The couple also has two pet dogs, one of which was found dead in a rear bedroom. The wife carried the other dog when evacuating the house, Yamada said.
None of the neighboring houses was threatened, but two elderly men in an adjacent home were evacuated because of the smoke from the fire, Yamada said. The Red Cross arrived to help the displaced residents.
Man dies after snorkeling off Makaha
A man in his 40s died after running into trouble in the water off a Makaha beach late Tuesday morning.
The man was snorkeling with other people shortly before noon when he became unconscious, police said.
The man may have been suffering from a medical condition that contributed to his death, a spokeswoman for the city Emergency Services Department said.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:52 a.m., police said.
Second victim ID’d in Hawaii island crash
Hawaii County police have identified Frank Rosol, 65, of Hakalau as the second man who died Sunday night in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 19 near Onomea in the South Hilo District.
Police said Rosol was the driver of a northbound pickup truck that crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound Cadillac Escalade driven by Miles T. Nakanishi, 61, of Hilo. Police released Nakanishi’s name Monday.
Nakanishi and Rosol died at the scene. The accident happened at about 7 p.m.
The passengers in the Cadillac — two women, ages 60 and 80, a 6-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl — were injured. The children were flown to the Queen’s Medical Center and Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu in critical condition. The women were in serious condition at Hilo Medical Center.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Crane accident kills operator at firm on Maui
A man moving a crane at a Kahului business was fatally injured Tuesday morning when the crane tipped over, crushing him beneath it, Maui police said.
Police identified the victim as Ronald Nakasone, 62.
Nakasone was moving equipment at Hawthorne Pacific Corp., 470 Hana Highway, when the crane he was operating tilted to one side and pinned him at 8:44 a.m., police said.
Nakasone sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene, police said.
Police classified the incident as an industrial accident and said no foul play was involved.
Hawthorne Pacific sells, rents and services heavy industrial vehicles and equipment, according to its website.
Snorkeler dies despite CPR by resort staff
A Japanese visitor died Monday in an apparent drowning off the Kohala Coast, Hawaii County police said.
South Kohala patrol officers responded at 2:04 p.m. to a report of a possible drowning in the water fronting a resort on Kaniku Drive, police said. Resort personnel had pulled an unconscious male snorkeler from the water and attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, police said.
The victim was taken to North Hawaii Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police identified him as Takashi Nakayama, 35.
Police ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
