A fire at a new luxury tower condominium in Kakaako was extinguished Wednesday by an activated sprinkler, a Honolulu Fire Department spokesman said.
Firefighters received a call at about 3:45 p.m. from a person on the 37th floor of Keauhou Place, 555 South St., about smoke coming from the floor above, said Honolulu Fire Capt. David Jenkins.
Firefighters arrived to find a kitchen fire that was extinguished by an activated sprinkler.
Jenkins said there was some water damage from the sprinkler, but it was “positively way better than structure fire damage.”
A damage estimate and the cause of the fire were under investigation.
The 43-story tower with units priced from about $400,000 to $1.4 million opened to residents in late October.
Homeless living at cemetery, official says
Homeless campers have moved illegally into a Pearl City cemetery, an official said.
Gary Shim, who is a member of Sunset Memorial Park’s operating committee and works to keep the cemetery clean, said he’s seen an influx of homeless people, abandoned vehicles and illegal drug use.
“It’s not safe in there,” Shim said.
Hawaii News Now reported Tuesday that one of its reporters attempted to enter the cemetery and was approached by a man wielding a knife, telling the TV station’s staff member to leave.
A resident of a neighboring senior apartment complex said the situation got worse after the Pearl Harbor Bike path was cleared of campers in August.
Scott Morishige, the governor’s homeless coordinator, said he wasn’t aware of the cemetery encampment and has since notified outreach workers about the situation.
“We’re going to be in coordination with the city and county to see what we can do in terms of a coordinated response,” Morishige said.
Maui
School’s closure extended after suspicious fire on campus
Students were to return to Kahului Elementary School today, but the shutdown following a suspicious fire last week will keep the school closed until Monday.
More than 960 students from preschool through fifth grade attend the central Maui school. Staff will continue reporting as normal as the school works to ensure the campus is safe for students, the state Department of Education said Wednesday on its Twitter account.
The fire, which broke out Friday night, damaged six classrooms and affected the school’s water lines, the DOE said. Maui police suspect that the fire was deliberately set and estimated damage at $1.2 million.
Police were in the area the night of the fire after receiving a call about suspicious people walking around the campus but left after no one was found, said Maui Police Lt. Gregg Okamoto. No injuries were reported and no arrests have been made.
Kawehiwehi Nakamoto-Palmero, a fourth-grader whose portable classroom was damaged, said she was both sad and angry over the incident “because all my life work from August to November is gone.” The 9-year-old said she was supposed to go on a field trip at the beginning of the week but couldn’t because the school was closed. “It’s a waste of money and takes away little kids’ dreams,” she said.
Her mother, Kristie Nakamoto, said her daughter cried as she saw images of the fire via Facebook. “She was worried about her paperwork and her artwork. She was so worried about her teachers,” Nakamoto said.
Another parent, Stacy Woodson, also attended the school in her youth and said it was “heartbreaking” that people “in an indirect way would attack our youth.”
