Four juveniles allegedly caused nearly $85,000 worth of damages after a fire buffered by strong winds burned 19 acres of Gay and Robinson sugar cane fields last weekend. On June 5, at around 3:30 p.m., a Kaumakani resident reported a
Four juveniles allegedly caused nearly $85,000 worth of damages after a fire buffered by strong winds burned 19 acres of Gay and Robinson sugar cane fields last weekend.
On June 5, at around 3:30 p.m., a Kaumakani resident reported a fire in the cane fields on the makai side of Kaumakani camp, according to a police report. Police arrived and discovered the fire appeared to be out of control, pushed by blustery trade winds.
The fire was put out by KFD personnel. It was estimated that $83,500 worth of damage occurred in the fire.
“The sugar cane was several months from its harvest date,” said Clem Lum, treasurer for Gay and Robinson Sugar Company. “We’re trying to recover some of the loss by processing it.”
Insurance doesn’t cover the fire, he added.
While 19 acres is a tiny percentage of the 3,5000 acres expected to be harvested by Gay and Robinson, this year, the loss is sudden and unexpected,
“In those terms it doesn’t seem like much, but the $85,000, that’s a lot to make up,” Lum said. “It goes right to the bottom line.”
And it appears the fire was set by a group of juveniles.
At the scene, an officer found a recently spent emergency flare gun cartridge and subsequent investigations revealed four juveniles were seen going in the area prior to the fire, said Kaui Tanaka, a county spokesperson.
One of the juveniles was identified, detained for first-degree criminal property damage 1st degree, and released back to his parents, Tanaka said in a statemetn released Wednesday.
Staff writer Tom Finnegan can be reached at 245-3681 x 226
