3 brush blazes keep crews busy on Garden Isle

Kauai County and state firefighters battled three separate brush fires in Kokee on Monday.

All three fires started at about 1:30 p.m. off Wai­mea Canyon Drive, near mile marker 3, according to an emailed statement from county spokes­woman Sarah Blane. Firefighters from the Kauai Fire Department and the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife battled the blazes.

No damage or threat to structures was reported, said Blane. The size of the fires was not available.

She said the brush fires were near containment but would likely continue to smolder in remote areas in the coming days.

East Hawaii hui lauds firefighter and police officer

A community group named the top police officer and firefighter in East Hawaii on Thursday.

The Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaii selected the Hawaii County Police Department’s Kelly Moniz as Officer of the Year and Kyle Vares of the Hawaii Fire Department as Firefighter of the Year.

Moniz, a 10-year veteran of the department, was recognized for his part in an extensive investigation involving both the FBI and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration that led to the arrest and indictments of three high-level crystal meth­am­pheta­mine traffickers.

Vares was honored for his role in reviewing construction documents for fire code compliance, and his involvement in fire investigations and site inspections. In a collaboration between the Fire Department and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Vares helped to oversee the installation of smoke detectors in 75 residences occupied by seniors.