Neighbor Island briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

MAUI

Officials free tangled shark

KIHEI, Maui — A 5-foot tiger shark was returned to the ocean Sunday by Maui County water safety officers after it became entangled in a net off Kama'ole Beach Park I in South Maui.

The shark, its mouth caught in the fishing net about 100 yards offshore, was placed on a rescue sled and towed to a spot about 500 yards offshore, where it was released.

The rescue led some tourists to question why the animal was being freed, to which water safety officers responded the animal was alive and belonged in the ocean.

Shark-sighting signs were posted at the beach until sundown Sunday.

BIG ISLAND

Fire damages Pahala home

PAHALA, Hawai'i — A Pahala residence was severely damaged in a fire Sunday on Ilima Street.

Firefighters said the home owned by Margaret Augustine was vacant at the time of the 2:41 p.m. blaze, which caused $70,000 damage.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, said fire spokesman Dennis Branco.

A neighbor suffered smoke inhalation while using a garden hose to try to douse the flames. He declined medical treatment.

It was the third house fire in four days on the Big Island.