Link Between Brush
Fires And Stolen Cars
The
continuing rash of brush fires around Maui has been burning up
more than kiawe trees. Many sparked by car thieves torching stolen
vehicles.
J.M.
Buck
As
a brush fire blazed its way through a gulch Sept. 8 in Pauwela,
yet another fire was keeping the Maui Fire Department busy on
Waiko Road in Wailuku.
Waiko Road is known for junkyards, abandoned vehicles and large
amounts of rubbish littering its kiawe-sprinkled fields and roadsides.
The Waiko brush fire, which was reported at about 3:10 p.m. across
the road from Apana’s, began generating heavy black smoke
after spreading into a storage area and igniting stacks of old
tires. Motorist warnings were issued for areas of Kuihelani and
Honoapi‘ilani Highways in anticipation of danger from the
acrid smoke.
Fortunately, the winds shifted, and there was little impact to
motorists.
The Fire Department was still battling the blaze on Friday with
the aid of bulldozers and a helicopter.
 |
| Pauwela
burning. Firefighters battle a brush fire that scorched
approximately four acres on Thursday. |
At
the same time, the Pauwela fire, which was reported shortly before
3 p.m., charred approximately four acres in a gulch that runs
through the pineapple fields near Pauwela Lighthouse.
A firefighter on the Pauwela scene says that at moment, there
is no evidence of arson. One of things fire and police were looking
for however, was evidence of a vehicle possibly being set on fire
in the field, and the blaze spreading out from there.
One of the officers on the scene, who has requested anonymity,
says that of the numerous abandoned cars that litter the pineapple
fields at Pauwela Point and Jaws in Pe‘ahi, a good percentage
of them are stolen vehicles.
“People come out here and are up to no good,” said
the officer. “They strip cars out here. Then they set them
on fire so it burns away evidence and identification marks on
the car.”
After firefighters brought the blaze under control, they reported
that there wasn’t any vehicle in the gulch that was intentionally
set on fire.
“There’s cars down there,” said one of the firefighters,
“But none of them were torched.”
Deputy Fire Chief Neal Bal says that there have “been quite
a few” instances of brush fires occurring after a stolen
car is ignited. He says that when the call came in for the Waiko
fire, it sounded like a vehicle fire. “They turned it around
later and said it was a brush fire. No one seems to have that
one straightened out yet.”
The Waiko fire is exceptionally dangerous as the fire is running
underground. Kiawe tree roots ignite, and the fire spreads below
the earth through the roots. “You can drown it all you want
and it will still come back in a week and start up again,”
Bal explained. He said there are also things buried under the
ground off of Waiko that can ignite.
“We’re using bulldozers to contain the fire,”
said Bal. “There are a lot of hot spots out there that the
boys are trying to surround and drown. It will be going for a
while yet,” he said.
Contractors along Waiko Road turned out in force to assist the
fire department with getting the conflagration under control.
“Along with Goodfellow Brothers, who are always there to
help us, and public works with their tankers, we had quite a few
tankers,” Bal relayed. “The different contractors
in the area brought in their bulldozers and tankers and just freely
gave to help us out. It’s a huge help.”
In the past few months, fires have broken out in almost every
area of Maui. Bal says the fire department gets called out on
stolen vehicle fires in rural areas like Pauwela about once a
month.
“They have their favorite places [to strip and torch cars],”
he said. “Out towards Pauwela Lighthouse is one. He confirms
that the pineapple field at Jaws in Pe‘ahi is another favorite
of car thieves.
After the flames at Pauwela were quelled by repeated dousing from
the fire department helicopter, the officer pointed to some cars
further down in the pineapple fields.
“There’s tons of cars down there,” he said.
He said he was going to check to see if any were stolen vehicles.
A few months ago, the same officer organized a stolen vehicle
sweep at Jaws. He says there were a lot of stolen cars discovered,
some being reported as stolen as long ago as three years ago.
Many were burned beyond identification. Some were not.
It seems that Toyotas are the main vehicle of choice for car thieves.
They are prevalent on Maui and easy to strip. A perfect combination
for someone looking to make a quick buck or have something to
trade for drugs.
“Everyone’s looking for parts,” the officer
stated, in reference to Toyota.
Approximately ten months ago, the officer was dispatched to the
scene of a domestic disturbance near the Jaws/Pe‘ahi area.
“There was a couple, and when they saw me, they took off
[down the pineapple road] towards Jaws,” he recalled.
The officer followed them. “When I finally found them out
there, the guy had his leg hanging out the door and was pulling
parts from the car.”
It turned out that the vehicle was stolen. The suspect was also
carrying a firearm. The two were arrested.
“These guys that do this, they’re dangerous,”
he warned.
It is advised that if you spot someone torching a vehicle, immediately
call 911 and report the incident. Try to get a description of
the suspect and any license plate numbers. Do not approach the
suspect under any circumstances, as they could be armed. Citizens
who wish to remain anonymous can also call Maui CrimeStoppers
at 242-6966.
