Fuel tank has possible leak
The Navy, in coordination with the state Department of Health and other agencies, is investigating a possible leak of aviation fuel — primarily consisting of kerosene — from a tank at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility.
Samples of groundwater and drinking water in the vicinity have been collected and are being tested, the Navy said Wednesday in a news release.
Navy officials said fuel operators on Monday detected a fuel-level discrepancy in the tank, which holds JP-8 aviation fuel.
The possible loss of fuel from the tank prompted the Navy to immediately begin transferring fuel to another tank at the facility, according to the release. The transfer may take up to five days to complete, officials said.
After the transfer of fuel and the venting of the tank, an inspection will be conducted to determine the cause of the fuel-level discrepancy.
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is monitoring the Navy’s efforts and conducting its own investigation. Wells in the vicinity have been shut down as a precaution.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Police seek info on missing mom
Maui police are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 46-year-old woman.
Moreira Monsalve was last seen about 3 p.m. Sunday at the University of Hawaii Maui College campus in Kahului. According to police, Monsalve was there to attend a meeting with her son. She left in a vehicle and later failed to return to pick up her son.
On Tuesday, police recovered the vehicle Monsalve was in when she left the campus.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Maui Police Department at 244-6400.
Lightning eyed as cause of fire
Lightning may have caused the brush fire that has destroyed 150 acres in
Hawaii island’s Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a forest reserve, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said.
DLNR firefighters on Wednesday continued to extinguish "hot spots within the fire perimeter."
Lightning strikes are believed to have ignited fountain grass in the forest area, starting a brush fire that was reported at 6 p.m. Sunday, the department said.
On Tuesday, 22 Division of Forestry and Wildlife personnel returned to the fire scene near upper Mamalahoa Highway, along with one brush truck, three engines, two water tenders and one bulldozer. Winds were light, and there was no rain.
