Passenger is killed in Maui car crash

Speed and alcohol are being investigated as possible factors in a Maui crash that killed a 19-year-old man and sent two others to the hospital.

Police said a 21-year-old Kihei man crashed his 1993 Toyota Camry on Wailea Alanui Drive near Wailea Ike Drive at about 7:30 p.m. Monday. Ryan Michael Poulter, 19, of Kihei, a front-seat passenger, was hospitalized in critical condition and died this morning, police said.

The driver and a 20-year-old man, also from Kihei, were hospitalized in stable condition. Police said all three men were wearing seat belts.

The death is Maui’s 10th traffic fatality this year, compared with eight at the same time last year.

Accident victim was Kahuku man

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the 23-year-old mo-ped rider killed Sunday in a collision with a car on Kalanianaole Highway near Sea Life Park as Elizar Acorda of Kahuku.

Police said the 29-year-old driver of a Nissan sedan crashed head-on with Acorda, who was then struck from behind by a mo-ped driven by a 28-year-old man. Acorda was taken to Castle Medical Center, where he died. The second mo-ped rider was in serious condition.

Lahaina home is engulfed by blaze

A Maui fire caused an estimated $375,000 in damage to a Lahaina residence.

Fire spokesman Ryan Piros said the cause of the fire at 852 Kelawea St. was under investigation. Piros said the homeowner reported the fire at 6:20 p.m. Monday and that the house was engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.

A firefighter suffered heat exhaustion, and residents at eight nearby homes were evacuated after officials noticed that a 124-gallon propane tank on the property was venting.

Traffic incidents leave 2 injured

Two people were critically injured Tuesday night in separate motor vehicle crashes on Oahu.

A 78-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a vehicle near 10th Avenue and Kaau Street in Kaimuki, according to an Emergency Medical Services supervisor. Police said the call came in shortly after 8 p.m. The man was taken by ambulance to the Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition.

An EMS supervisor said a 17-year-old mo-ped rider was struck by a city bus on Keolu Drive earlier Tuesday evening. The rider’s condition was listed as serious.

Police closed Keolu Drive between Maunalani Street and Akani Loop to investigate.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Fireworks suspected in brush fire

Fireworks are blamed for a brush fire on Hawaii island that burned about an acre of land Monday on Old Puako Beach Road in South Kohala.

Hawaii County firefighters were also battling a brush fire in North Kohala that closed Kohala Mountain Road at about 1:20 a.m. Tuesday. Only one lane of the highway was open near the 4.5-mile marker of the road. The fire was reported extinguished as of about

4:15 a.m., but fire units remained on scene. The cause is under investigation.

The Old Puako Beach Road fire was reported at 2:19 p.m. and under control at 2:43 p.m.

Firefighters said they found a substance that looked like fireworks residue next to the burn area, about three feet off the road.

Man arrested in pellet gun shooting

Hawaii County police have arrested a 25-year-old Kailua-Kona man in connection with a Friday evening shooting in the parking lot of a business on Kuakini Highway.

Police said the suspect stole the wallet of a 54-year-old Kailua-Kona man and shot the man with a gas-powered pellet gun when the victim chased him.

The victim was struck in the shoulder, and the assailant left in a sport utility vehicle.

The victim was treated and released from Kona Community Hospital for a puncture wound caused by a pellet.

Police arrested the suspect Sunday in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Kuakini Highway for suspicion of attempted robbery and assault. He was being held at the Kona police cellblock.