Posted on: Sunday, January 2, 2005

Rain eases fire threat

By Karen Blakeman and Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writers

While Kaua'i emergency workers were busy dealing with flooding, firefighters on O'ahu and the other islands were enjoying a new year made safer by just enough rain to keep the fireworks under control.

"We're all good with it not being too eventful," said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Kenison Tejada. "And the rain coming down at a nice slow pace helps."

Through New Year's Eve and until 8 a.m. New Year's Day, firefighters fought several fireworks-related fires, including 18 rubbish fires, four Dumpster fires, two brushfires, one boat fire, a building fire and three other small fires that had no classification.

The building fire was in Sunset Beach at 59-019 Hoalua St. The blaze, which took out about 30 percent of the downstairs living area of the two-story home, caused $25,000 in damage.

Another structure fire shortly after 9 a.m. yesterday also was caused by fireworks, Tejada said. That building, at 94-052 Nawa'akoa Place in Waipahu, was an abandoned house. About one-third of the building burned.

Honolulu firefighters had been concerned that high sales of fireworks permits would lead to an unsafe holiday, but the inclement weather seemed to tone things down.

Other emergency workers were also kept busy.

Dean Nakano, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services spokesman, reported that the city's paramedic service responded to 229 emergency calls from 7 a.m. Friday through 8 a.m. yesterday, "for a whole gamut of things — fireworks-related injuries, shortness of breath, assaults, traffic accidents."

Nakano said the only serious injuries were to a pedestrian, who was struck by a vehicle at 5 a.m. yesterday at Atkinson Drive and Kapi'olani Boulevard, and an assault victim Friday in Wahiawa.

Both victims were in critical condition, Nakano said. The assault victim was flown by helicopter to The Queen's Medical Center, he said. The pedestrian, a Marine who was walking outside a crosswalk, was taken by ambulance to Queen's.

On the Big Island, the Fire Department said it handled 18 fire-related calls, none of them serious and none involving injuries.

Eleven of the calls involved brushfires and a variety of other problems, including smoke inhalation and a bulldozer fire.

Maui and Moloka'i firefighters said they also experienced a quiet New Year.

Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com. Reach Jim Dooley at 535-2447 or at jdooley@honoluluadvertiser.com.