Recent fires on 4 islands generate investigations

Maui, Kauai and Honolulu police in recent weeks have been investigating several fires, five classified as arson, others as suspicious, with at least two involving minors and four at schools.

And Hawaii County police are asking for witnesses to any possible suspicious activity that may have ignited a 2,300-acre brush fire Friday in Waimea, resulting in the destruction of a home and two vehicles.

All four county police departments urge the public to be on the alert for and to report any activity surrounding fires by calling 911 or CrimeStoppers.

Honolulu police have made no arrests in four arson cases at three schools.

A blaze Friday at Waipahu High School, fueled by stored artificial turf, caused an estimated $75,000 in damage to a structure and its contents, said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. David Jenkins. The fire destroyed the turf stored next to the concession stand, which was also damaged.

Fire investigators found obvious signs of an outside source, and there had been a history of criminal trespassing, he said. “It was already suspicious upon arrival.”

Police classified that case as first-degree arson.

Witnesses spotted individuals on the roof just before a fire broke out at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Kaiulani Elementary School cafeteria, Jenkins said. Police classified that case as second-degree arson.

The fire damaged a small portion of the roof and wooden jalousies, causing $5,000 in damage.

In May two fires a week apart at Kahuku High and Intermediate School had been intentionally set.

On Saturday a 3-acre brush fire set by fireworks came to within 40 feet of a home in Lahaina. Three boys, all 12, were playing with the pyrotechnics in strong wind when the grass was ignited.

Police are investigating the case because it’s unclear whether it was intentional, and action might be taken against the juveniles, said Maui police Lt. Gregg Okamoto.

The Maui Fire Department ruled the cause of a 2-acre brush fire that threatened homes in Paia on Sunday as undetermined. Residents saw children running from an open field just before the fire broke out, but the investigation so far has been inconclusive.

Kauai police are investigating a string of fireworks blazes over the Fourth of July holiday. The largest was a 30-acre brush fire July 3 in Anahola.

On June 22 police detained a 14-year-old Lihue boy in connection with a brush fire on Kalepa Ridge in Lihue.