Hilo house fire quickly contained
Hawaii Fire Department personnel responded at 7:42 a.m. Monday to a structure fire in Hilo.
HFD observed heavy smoke as firefighters arrived at the two story home on Amauulu Road.
The fire was contained to the kitchen area, and the occupant was able to escape after being alerted by a smoke detector. A pet dog was rescued from inside the house by HFD.
The fire was extinguished within 10 minutes.
The home sustained $20,000 in damage and the cause of the fire was the stove.
Police ID Hilo body
Hawaii Island police have identified a female whose body was discovered off July 11 of Bayfront Highway in Hilo.
According to police, 44-year-old Tina Marie Fukushima of Hilo was found unresponsive in a dark, late model multipurpose vehicle that was parked on the gravel shoulder near the area of the Mooheau Bandstand.
Although an autopsy was performed by the medical examiner, the cause and manner of death are pending toxicology results. Police do not suspect foul play in this case, which is classified as a coroner’s inquest.
Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section are continuing the investigation.
2 taken to hospital after crash
Highway 19 in Honokaa was closed to traffic briefly Monday morning at the 41 mile marker while Hawaii Fire Department personnel extricated an individual with life-threatening injuries from a vehicle involved in a 5:30 a.m. crash.
The two vehicle collision in Honokaa sent two individuals to the hospital with serious injuries. Responders cleared the road around 7 a.m.
Police seek ID
Big Island Police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a woman who is accused of stealing clothing from a store in Kona.
The victim reported that on July 13 the unidentified female party had concealed the clothing on her person, while she was within a dressing room, then left the store without paying and without permission.
She was identified as wearing a brown skirt, a gray sweater, and a cream crochet halter top and described as being of slender build, and approximately 5 feet, 6 inches tall.
Anyone with information on this suspect should call Officer P. Robinson of Kona Patrol at (808) 326-4646, ext. 253. Callers may also call the Police Department’s nonemergency number at (808) 935-3311.
18 arrested for DUI
During the week of July 22-28, Hawaii Island police arrested 18 motorists for driving under the influence of an intoxicant. Six of the drivers were involved in a traffic accident. One of the drivers was under the age of 21.
So far this year, there have been 645 DUI arrests compared with 653 during the same period last year, a decrease of 1.2 percent.
There have been 542 major accidents so far this year compared with 730 during the same period last year, a decrease of 25.8 percent.
To date, there were 14 fatal crashes, resulting in 14 fatalities, compared with 18 fatal crashes, resulting in 20 fatalities or the same time last year. This represents a decrease of 22.2 percent for fatal crashes, and 30 percent for fatalities.
By local sources