State crews continued Monday to fight a wildfire that started in the back of Waianae Valley and spread uphill into the Waianae Kai State Forest Reserve.
The 4-day-old fire has burned 1,300 acres, of which 400 are in the forest reserve, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said by email. The blaze was 85 percent contained Monday, the department said.
The state Division of Forestry and Wildlife each day has deployed an average of 16 firefighters and three brush trucks with 300-gallon tank-and-pump units into the reserve.
A contract helicopter also was making water drops Monday.
Despite rain over most of Oahu during the weekend, only a small amount reached the fire, the department said.
The cliff areas of the reserve have several endangered species, the state said, and an assessment will be conducted later to determine whether any were destroyed. The lower areas of the reserve are steep, and vegetation consists mainly of dense, dry, non-native species, like guinea grass, koa haole, silk oak and ironwood, and occasional native species.
The last major fire to burn in the upper valley area was in June 2012, when 1,200 acres burned, including 400 acres in the forest reserve.
Pair arrested in burglary of furniture store
Police arrested two Kalihi men Saturday after they allegedly attempted to burglarize a furniture store in Kakaako.
At about 11:24 p.m. Saturday, patrol officers responded to an activated alarm and found a 21-year-old man hiding inside Pacific Home, a furniture store at 744 Ala Moana Blvd.
Police said a 19-year-old man, a relative of the first suspect, was found right outside the store, where the pair allegedly accessed the business by forced entry.
Police arrested both men on suspicion of second-degree burglary. The 21-year-old also was arrested on an outstanding traffic-related warrant.
Both men were released pending further investigation.
