Woman badly injured in house fire

A woman in her 70s suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation when a fire broke out in her single-family home just before 1 a.m. yesterday, Honolulu fire officials said.

Paramedics took the woman in critical condition to a burn unit of a hospital, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Medical Services Department. Honolulu fire Capt. Earle Kealoha said the woman’s injuries are possibly life-threatening.

The cause of the fire along Pohakupuna Road in Ewa Beach was still being investigated yesterday, Kealoha said.

The fire was reported at 12:50 a.m. and caused $40,000 worth of damage to the building and its contents, Kealoha said.

About 20 firefighters responded and had the fire under control at 1:02 a.m. and extinguished around 1:45 a.m.

During a subsequent search of the home, firefighters discovered the woman in one of the bedrooms, Kealoha said.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross Hawaii chapter met with the family yesterday, and caseworkers plan to continue to follow up to ensure their immediate needs are met, Red Cross officials said.

Man accused of sexual assault of boy

Police said they arrested a 68-year-old child care provider for the alleged sexual assault of a 3-year-old boy.

Detectives said the boy reported he was assaulted by the male suspect last Monday between 2 and 3 p.m. in what they described as a "Honolulu commercial area."

No further information was immediately available about the suspect or where he worked.

A police summary indicated the man was arrested and released pending further investigation at 2:51 p.m. Saturday.

Student arrested after dorm break-in

A 17-year-old University of Hawaii-Manoa student reported that she was sexually assaulted by an 18-year-old male student who broke into her dorm room early Saturday morning.

The male student was arrested at 3 a.m. Saturday for first-degree burglary and remains in police custody.

Man arrested in threatening calls

Honolulu police arrested a 37-year-old man who allegedly left a message on a neighbor’s answering machine threatening to kill a 61-year-old man and his family.

Police said the man made threatening calls to a neighbor on Waialae Nui Ridge for "reasons unknown."

He was arrested Tuesday at about 5:30 p.m. after leaving threats on the victim’s answering machine, police said.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Pukalani man dies following 2-car collision

David K. Dutro, 75, died in a head-on two-car crash on Haleakala Highway in Kahului yesterday morning.

The collision happened at 11:26 a.m. near Haleakala and Hana highways. According to Maui police, Dutro was traveling west in his 1996 Mercury sedan on Haleakala Highway when it collided with a sedan traveling in the eastbound lane.

The other car was driven by a 27-year-old woman from Cambridge, Mass. The driver and a 31-year-old male passenger, also from Cambridge, Mass., were taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center in stable condition.

Dutro — a Pukalani resident — was transported to the Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition and died a short time later.

Big Isle fire affects birds and drivers

Firefighters used hand tools Saturday to cut a 3.6-mile fire line in high elevation to prevent a 1,387-acre fire from moving into forest areas that are home to endangered Hawaiian birds, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release.

The brush fire on the slopes of Mauna Kea is also creating visibility problems for people traveling on Saddle Road.

Drivers are being advised to use caution on Saddle Road because of dust, ash and smoke from the fire.

Increased winds have also affected visibility for firefighters. Winds Saturday were gusting up to 25 miles per hour.

The fire broke out at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 21 in the Pohakuloa Training Area and was reported to be 60 percent contained.