Sand Island fire set by arsonist, Honolulu Fire Department says

A fire Sunday at a construction company storage area on Sand Island that caused an estimated $155,000 in damage was intentionally set, the Honolulu Fire Department said today.

“The investigation revealed that fire originated in a stack of high-density polyethylene piping, approximately 50 pieces, each measuring 40 feet long and 48 inches wide. The piping were stored at an outdoor storage area belonging to the Frank Coluccio Construction Company,” HFD said in a news release.

HFD referred the case to the Honolulu Police Department for further investigation and criminal prosecution.

More than 50 firefighters responded to the three-alarm fire at 50 Sand Island Access Road and brought the fire under control at 9:53 a.m. Sunday.

According to HFD Capt. Randall Lindsey, 15 units staffed with 54 personnel arrived at the scene at around 6:30 a.m. to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the pile of PVC piping.

The fire was completely extinguished at 10:25 a.m., HFD said.

Lindsey said in a news briefing that the amount of PVC pipe on fire, if laid end to end, would be about a half-mile long.

Due to limited access to fire hydrants, HFD said, the first units on scene began fighting the fire without first connecting to a water supply. Three separate water relays were quickly initiated to connect multiple fire hoses and pump water from more distant sources.

Firefighters from the state Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit also took part in efforts to battle the blaze.

HFD’s HAZMAT unit was sent to the scene to collect air quality samples and found there to be no airborne traces of harmful contaminants in the immediate area of the fire as well as downwind from its location.

No injuries were reported.