Teen Playing With Fireworks Blamed For Brushfire
POSTED: 11:05 pm HST May 24, 2005
UPDATED: 10:38 am HST May 25, 2005
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KALAELOA, Oahu, Hawaii -- A teenager playing with fireworks causes a brushfire in Kalaeloa Tuesday, according to police.
A 17-year-old boy confessed to starting a fire that burned nearly 50 acres of land in a remote area off Renton Road.The Honolulu Fire Department used nearly 70 firefighters to fight the blaze. While it was a tough job for fire crews it was easy for investigators. Within an hour of the fire starting they knew how the fire started and who the culprit was."(The teen) was playing with fireworks. He threw them on the road. Naturally, they bounced into the brush and there was no way he could stop the fire, especially with this wind condition and the brush condition," Honolulu Police Department Lt. Daniel Ford said.Ford said the teenage boy walked into Kapolei police station to tell authorities what he did. The teen said he was alone when he started the fire. It took firefighters nearly four hours to contain the blaze.The brush where the fire was is thick and overgrown."This is the same conditions we're facing island wide as it dries out. We have a lot of grass, large kiawe trees that are very susceptible to fire spread and readily ignitable," HFD Capt. Emmit Kane said.
No homes were threatened. The wind cooperated with fire crews, blowing the smoke toward the ocean and away from any populated areas. The only places affected are the beaches along the Kalaeloa coast."Approximately 70 people were cleared out of White Plains Beach, another 50 were cleared out of Nimitz Beach," Ford said.Fire crews fought the blaze strictly on foot. HFD's helicopter was sent to Nanakuli, where a flare up was spotted deep in the valley. So, a police chopper helped crews assess the fire spread.Ford said it is rare to have a person who starts a fire confess, but it does not make the person immune from criminal charges. "Because it was accidental and not something he deliberately started he fessed up. So, I give him that. I give him credit for that," Ford said.Police said the 17-year-old boy was arrested, but not charged with any crime yet.
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Watch News ReportNo homes were threatened. The wind cooperated with fire crews, blowing the smoke toward the ocean and away from any populated areas. The only places affected are the beaches along the Kalaeloa coast."Approximately 70 people were cleared out of White Plains Beach, another 50 were cleared out of Nimitz Beach," Ford said.Fire crews fought the blaze strictly on foot. HFD's helicopter was sent to Nanakuli, where a flare up was spotted deep in the valley. So, a police chopper helped crews assess the fire spread.Ford said it is rare to have a person who starts a fire confess, but it does not make the person immune from criminal charges. "Because it was accidental and not something he deliberately started he fessed up. So, I give him that. I give him credit for that," Ford said.Police said the 17-year-old boy was arrested, but not charged with any crime yet. Copyright 2006 by TheHawaiiChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
