O'ahu briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
WINDWARD
Sewer project to begin in July
A $25 million sewer project for Kainehe Street and Hamakua and Keolu drives will begin after July 4 and should last 18 months.
The city will conduct a public information meeting from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. May 6 at Jaron's Restaurant Kailua, 201A Hamakua Drive. Copies of the project's transportation plan will be available at the meeting.
After May 1, the project will have a 24-hour hotline at 754-5501 and a Web site at www.kainehe-hamakua-keolu-sewer.com. Frank Coluccio Construction Co. is the contractor, and URS Corp. is the project manager.
CENTRAL
Peppers caused Wal-Mart woes
The mysterious substance that sickened 30 Wal-Mart workers in Mililani last week has been identified.
"Chili peppers," said Bryan Wall, store manager.
Wall said the shipping company that brought the latest shipment of Wal Mart inventory to O'ahu from California had previously used the same 40 feet by 8 feet crate to ship a load of chili peppers from South America to California.
The crate had not been washed out well after the peppers were delivered.
Workers began to unload the CRX crate on Thursday, and 13 of them complained of teary eyes, mucous in nasal passages, itchy throats and skin rashes.
When the work continued on Friday, more workers became ill. A total of 19 people were treated at local hospitals and released.
About 40 firefighters, including both Hazmat teams, rushed to the store on Friday afternoon and evacuated customers and workers for four hours. An environmental contractor was hired to collect merchandise that had been removed from the crate and dispose of it.
After talking to the company, CRX, late Friday evening, Wall said he, hazardous materials crews and a Health Department official found seeds and dried peppers in the bottom of the crate.
"The way things are these days, with terrorism and everything, you can't be too cautious," Wall said. "We're just very relieved that's all it was."
LEEWARD
Fire leaves two homeless
A fire at an older home in Makaha caused $105,000 damage yesterday and left two women homeless and a dog missing.
The women returned to the house at 84-166B Jade St. about 6:30 p.m. and discovered the living room aflame, said HFD spokesman Capt. Kenison Tejada.
Firefighters had the fire extinguished in about 35 minutes, but the living room, kitchen and bathroom were destroyed.
The Red Cross assisted the women in finding lodging.
While dousing the blaze, firefighters opened a bedroom door and released a red pit bull, Tejada said.
The pit bull attacked a dog in a neighbor's yard and then jumped into a fire truck, where it stayed until the owners dragged it out.
Another dog, a chihuahua named Pebbles, is still missing, Tejada said.
