Vacant-house fire damages 2 other homes
A vacant Waipahu house was destroyed Thursday afternoon by fire, which also damaged two neighboring homes and displaced a family of five.
Total damage to all three houses and a vehicle amounted to roughly $335,000, a fire official said. Five engines, two ladder trucks and a battalion chief responded to the 4:24 p.m. fire.
Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the fire originated at 94-074 Leowaena St., destroying it and causing an estimated $280,000 in damage.
"Witnesses said the house had been broken into by vagrants and is not currently occupied," Seelig said.
The fire radiated heat to a neighboring home, 94-072 Leowaena St., causing an estimated $65,000 in damage to the structure and its contents and leaving four adults and one child homeless. The Red Cross is assisting that family.
A third house at 94-068 Leowaena St. received minor exterior damage, and a vehicle was burned. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $4,000.
Suspect charged with biting police officer
A 33-year-old servicewoman was in custody after allegedly biting the finger of a police officer who was investigating a traffic accident in Wahiawa last week.
Angela M. Yunker was charged with first-degree assault on a police officer Saturday after her arrest Sept. 13. First-degree assault on a law enforcement officer is Class C felony that carries a minimum jail time of five years.
She was being held in Oahu Community Correctional Center, unable to post $11,000 bail.
Yunker was involved in a traffic accident at 5:11 p.m. Sept. 13 at Wilikina Drive and Kunia Road, according to a police affidavit.
Yunker was identified because her picture was on an expired Ohio state driver’s license and a military identification card. The police affidavit didn’t say what military service Yunker belongs to.
When the police officer told Yunker she was arrested for drunken driving, the suspect allegedly bit his right ring finger, leaving a quarter-inch cut.
The suspect then allegedly told the arresting officer, "I will hunt you down. I will kill you."
Damage from truck fire is limited to cab
Hawaii County firefighters stopped a truck fire from spreading to a tanker carrying 8,300 gallons of diesel fuel on Highway 19 near Ookala on Thursday.
The truck caught fire at 3:34 a.m. near the 32-mile marker. The cab was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived and brought the fire under control at 3:55 a.m.
Only the cab of the truck was destroyed. The loss was estimated at $40,000.
The driver escaped without injuries. The trailer with the tanker and its contents of diesel fuel were not damaged.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
