And so it begins: The first fire of the dry season has torched more than 1,000 acres near Ka'ena Point. It won't be the last on the arid Wai'anae Coast, where any stray spark can touch off a brushfire.

But there's no reason, either, why O'ahu must experience a repeat of last summer, when 700 blazes charred the earth around the island — often along the Leeward Coast.

All property owners, public and private, can do their part to contain the hazard by clearing brush that could feed a fire. During the hot months when rainfall is slight, this chore becomes especially critical.

Beyond such housekeeping, however, neighborhoods can convene new crime-watch networks, or refocus the ones they have to guard against arson.

Advertiser writer Will Hoover encountered a Wai'anae resident, Maralyn Kurshals, who put it succinctly: "Let's change the attitude that this destruction has to happen out here every summer. ... If people see anything suspicious happening, report it, whether it's your uncle, your cousin or your neighbor."

She's absolutely right. Neighborhoods are strung like beads along the west side, but they are woven together by families living there for generations. Sharp eyes will spot troublemakers, and community elders often can nudge them onto a more productive path.

If any communities have the human resources to take the situation in hand and avert a chronic problem, it would be those of the Leeward Coast.