Burglars blamed for series of Waipahu fires
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
Police believe thieves intentionally toppled an electrical pole so they could cut power to nearby businesses and loot them without setting off burglar alarms yesterday morning in Waipahu.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
But the burglars bungled by accidentally starting a series of fires that caused $54,000 in damages to two car dealerships, police said. They made off with less than $500 in goods.
Police look over the scene of a fire at a Waipahu car lot in which a forklift was used to topple a utility pole. The pole fell onto the car, sparking the fire. Police say burglars hoped to cut power to alarms at nearby stores.
In a bizarre series of events, someone riding a stolen forklift toppled an electrical pole that had already been cut with a saw. That touched off a series of blazes.
"Right now we suspect the culprits caused the damages to the utility pole in an effort to cause a power outage in the area," said Honolulu Police Detective Robert Cravalho, who specializes in arson and robberies. "With the power cut, they could conduct their criminal activity under the blanket of darkness and not worry about the alarm systems that may have been installed in the businesses they wanted to enter."
The burglars hit two nearby businesses on Leonui Street — Cycle Sports Waipahu and Countertops Etc. — stealing a safe and a power saw, respectively.
The power saw was old and rusty, valued at about $300, said Countertops Etc. manager Duffy Uyehara. "We don't even have an alarm system, or any cash here. We just have a heavy door, and they jimmied the lock. But they were very neat, and the saw wasn't worth much."
Similarly, Cycle Sports manager Robert Becker said his loss was in the damage to the building because the burglars took an axe to the metal door and peeled it back.
"I know it could have been a lot worse," said Becker. "But I've lost my patience in dealing with the human race today. The value of the things stolen here was less than $200, but this is not the first time this has happened here or in this neighborhood. These guys are pretty much terrorizing this neighborhood and making a mess. What do you do? Put a pit bull in the store at night? It's just frustrating."
Police believe the burglars drove a stolen pickup truck, which was ditched in front of the looted businesses, Cravalho said. Fingerprints were lifted at the scene and are being processed.
Firefighters were first on the scene, responding to a call for a two-alarm fire at 3:15 a.m. at 94-223 Farrington Highway. They found four blazes, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Richard Soo.
They also discovered that someone had used a saw to cut an electrical pole, and that the pole had been toppled with a stolen forklift. The transformer on the pole fell on a car in the Schuman Carriage Waipahu Subaru lot and started a fire, Soo said.
Less than 100 yards away, a fiery trail of oil that had leaked from the transformer flowed downhill and ignited a car in front of the Tony Group Body Shop paint shop area, then started the third and fourth fires by igniting the Tony Group paint shop and a dumpster, Soo said.
"At first, I only saw the power pole and I thought it was an industrial accident," Soo said. "Once I got on the property, I saw the burned cars, the structure fire, the dumpster fire."
Firefighters had the fires under control by 3:35 a.m. and extinguished shortly before 4 a.m.
No one was hurt in the fires, which caused damage estimated at $54,000 to two cars at Schuman Carriage Waipahu Subaru, three cars at Tony Group Body Shop and the Tony Group's paint shop.
Advertiser Staff Writer Jessica Webster contributed to this report.
