House fires concern neighbors, owner
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HAWAII KAI, Hawaii (KITV) — Residents in a Hawaii Kai neighborhood raise concerns after three fires happened at the same Pepe’ekeo Street property this year. The most recent fire, this past Thursday.
Councilman Tommy Waters has even gotten involved. “I’m absolutely concerned about the safety of the neighbors in the community,” he says.
Owner Chris Loo, who lives in Pearl City, confirms an arson investigation is underway. He says it was his parents’ home, but his father died and his mother now lives with one of his siblings for caregiving. Loo had been working on renovating the home, but had to stop in 2016 when he had a stroke that left him partially paralyzed.
A letter from Waters addressed to the owners states residents in the area have reported seeing squatters along with illegal drug use and a lack of a maintenance of the property. But Loo tells KITV4, that letter was never sent to him directly.
As to the squatters accusation, Loo says the only people who lived there recently were his blind sister and brother in law, and that was four years ago. He claims they lived in a tent on the property for easier access but confirms he did hear reports of his brother-in-law bringing people over, so he took action. “We’ve been doing something about it years ago. I tried to get them evicted. There’s been nobody on the property for the last two years.”
Residents we talked to on Sunday did not want to go on camera but said there were multiple problems at the property. Loo tells me if any of these allegations are true, they were not with his permission.
Waters, who represents the district, says he’s awaiting a decision from the City Department of Planning and Permitting on what should be done with the property. “If the owners don’t take necessary measures, the city will, and owners will be charged,” he says.
Loo claims he checks on the property several times a week but is asking for the community’s help in keeping an eye on it. He says, “Call if you see something suspicious.”
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