Eric Moller News Today

On April 27, the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation, dedicated to raising funds for equipment for the fire department, officially gifted and blessed the Radon vessel in Kailua-Kona.

There has recently been an influx of information being spread on various social media sites that police have closed this investigation following the forensic pathologist’s ruling that Kala‘iokealaula Ashley Nicole Reyes Kanekoa died as a result of an accidental drowning on Feb. 18.

With the help of the Hawaii Fire Department, interisland freight shipper Young Brothers was able to reopen its facility and resume cargo operations at the Port of Hilo on Tuesday afternoon, averting a possible disaster for East Hawaii retailers, wholesalers and consumers during the busy holiday season.

The same day as four wildfires sparked on Maui, including the Lahaina fire, firefighters were also battling seven hurricane wind-driven fires on Hawaiʻi Island.

Every year recently, major fires have happened: Mana Road in 2021, Leilani in 2022, and the series of fires this year, on Aug. 8.

No injuries were reported following an early morning cooking fire at a restaurant in the Hilo Shopping Center and Annex off Kekuanaoa Street. According to Hawai‘i Fire Department, a security guard discovered a small blaze coming from Kamana Indian Cuisine. Firefighters responded to the eatery at 1:23 a.m. Upon arrival, flames were visible from the […]

In looking at how emergency access can improve in communities, voters in the latest Big Island Now poll had one clear answer: build more roads.

Concerns over emergency access out of Big Island communities, particularly Waikōloa, increased after the 2021 Mana Road fire scorched 40,000 acres in South Kohala and forced the evacuation of 6,500 Waikōloa Village residents.

During the 2021 Mana Road fire in Waikōloa, some residents made an emergency exit down a one-lane backroad off Hulu Street. With the recent Lāhainā wildfire tragedy, residents are wondering if the makeshift evacuation route is enough to keep local residents safe and alive.

Talks are underway with officials from the Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency and all four counties about codifying a new emergency response protocol to use sirens during wildfires everywhere in the state. It could become official “within days.”