Hawaii
Hawai'i New Year's fireworks toll rises to four with death of toddler
A three-year-old boy has become the fourth person to die after a massive explosion of fireworks at a home in Honolulu, Hawai’i on New Year’s Eve, according to a US burns doctor.
The blast killed three women and injured more than 20 people, with many suffering from burns to most of their bodies.
The US military flew six of the injured people from Honolulu to Phoenix, Arizona for treatment on Saturday because Hawaii’s lone burns centre doesn’t have the capacity to care for all of the victims.
The incident has since sparked renewed calls from Hawaii’s leaders to crack down on the state’s vast illegal fireworks trade by introducing enhanced enforcement and bigger penalties.
Hawaiian authorities say the massive explosion was caused by a bundle of aerial fireworks that fell on its side and shot explosives into two crates containing additional explosives. (AP: Marco Garcia)
Kevin Foster, the director of the Arizona Burn Center, said in a press conference on Monday local time that the six victims flown to Arizona were aged in their 20s or 30s and were suffering from extensive burns.
“The smallest [injury] is about 45 per cent of total body surface area, almost half of the body burned, and the largest is just under 80 per cent of the body surface,” Dr Foster said.
He said many required emergency surgery before they could be flown from Hawai’i.
Professional-grade aerial fireworks have been growing in popularity among Hawaiian residents in recent years, even though they are illegal for amateurs to use. (AP: Marco Garcia)
In addition to the burns, almost all of the victims are suffering “projectile injuries” caused by explosive particles that flew through the air, according to Dr Foster.
The doctor said all six patients were showing good vital signs, but they may not be able to resume a normal life for up to a year.
At least four of the patients are expected to remain intubated in medically induced comas for months, and some of them could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incident.
“There’s something uniquely and particularly horrifying about being burned, especially from this type of injury,” Dr Foster said.
Debris, burnt wood and furniture are piled up in front of the Honolulu home where the explosion took place. (AP: Marco Garcia)
Hawaii’s diverse population has long celebrated New Year’s with fireworks, but in recent years, professional-grade aerial explosives have been growing in popularity even though they are illegal for amateurs.
Honolulu authorities say a person attending a party lit a bundle of aerial fireworks, which fell on its side and shot explosives into two crates that contained additional explosive items.
Video of the resulting explosion shows a rapid series of blasts shooting fireworks in the air and around the front of a house.
AP
Three convicted sex offenders were arrested on Hawaii Island last week for allegedly failing to comply with sex offender registry requirements.
Multiple law-enforcement agencies conducted checks in Kona on registered sex offenders who had been identified as potentially out of compliance with the state’s Sex Offender Registry laws, according the Department of the Attorney General.
As a result of the three-day operation, several individuals were brought back into compliance, and three West Hawaii men were arrested for allegedly failing to comply with the requirements.
The three men who were arrested are Joseph Debus, 56, of Kailua-Kona, Garth Coleman, 53, of Holualoa and Alexsandr Skelcey, 34, of Kailua-Kona.
Debus was convicted of second-degree sex assault in Hawaii in 1993 and sentenced to five years probation with a year in jail. Coleman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for first-degree assault in 2000 after a jury trial in Hawaii. And Skelcey was convicted in Michigan in 2012 of assault with intent to commit sex assault.
“Sex offender registration requirements exist to protect our communities and ensure law enforcement knows where convicted offenders are living,” Tom Alipio, chief of the AG department’s Investigations Division, said in a press release. “Compliance operations like this send a clear message that we will actively monitor the registry, investigate violations and work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable when they fail to meet their legal obligations.”
HPD Chief Reed Mahuna said, “Operations like this allow us to verify that offenders are maintaining strict compliance with registration laws and those who aren’t will be addressed immediately. We will continue to leverage these multi-agency partnerships to keep our island communities safe,”
Members of the public can look up publicly available offender information and subscribe to notifications at sexoffenders.ehawaii.gov/coveredoffender/.
Anyone with information regarding a registered sex offender who may be violating registration requirements is encouraged to contact the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigation Division at (808) 586-1240 or their local law enforcement.
A brush in North Kona, near the Ulu Wini Apartments, has closed a portion of Hina Lani Street, between Route 190 and Ane Keokalole Highway.
According to Hawai‘i Island police, the road is expected to be closed for the next three hours and motorists are advised to avoid the area.
Hawai‘i Fire Assistant Chief Chris Carvalho confirmed at least two engines, two brush trucks, Chopper 2 and a medic vehicle responded to the blaze that started in some bushes.
No evacuations or injuries have been reported at this time.
At 11:09 a.m., an AlertWest camera, installed by Hawaiian Electric in wildfire-prone areas, showed smoke billowing above the Keahuolu Courthouse. As of 12:06 p.m., that smoke appears to have dissipated.
This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
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