Big Island firefighters yesterday battled a brushfire that burned more than 600 acres in Waimea on the makai side of Highway 190. No road closures were reported.

Firefighters said the fire was being fanned by winds of 15 to 20 mph. The fire was reported at 1:45 p.m.

Bulldozers were being used on all sides of the fire. Helicopters made water drops in hard-to-reach areas. Ground crews were working the accessible areas. The military and volunteer firefighters joined fire officials in fighting the blaze. The cause was under investigation.

TWO INJURED IN THREE-CAR CRASH

Two people were taken to The Queen's Medical Center last night following a three-car accident.

Emergency crews were sent to the scene on Kamehameha Highway in the area of Kipapa Bridge.

The accident was reported at 10:08 p.m. The condition of the injured persons was not immediately known.

Kamehameha Highway was closed — on the Mililani side at Lanikuhana Avenue and on the Waipio Gentry side at Ka Uka Boulevard.

KAPA'A BOY DIES FROM CRASH INJURY

A 14-year-old Kapa'a boy who was injured in a crash on Kaua'i Thursday died at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu yesterday.

The boy was driving in the eastbound lane on Koloa Road near the water tank at 10:05 p.m. Thursday when he lost control of a Honda sedan, police said.

The car skidded on the shoulder and crashed into a tree. Two other teenagers, a 16-year-old from Lihu'e and a 19-year-old from California, were injured and taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital for treatment. Their condition was unknown.

WOMAN FOUND SHOT IN FOREST

Big Island police are investigating the shooting of a woman who was found wounded in a remote forest area in Ka'u yesterday.

Police received an 11:14 a.m. report that workers from the county Department of Water Supply brought a woman suffering from gunshot wounds out of the forest in Wai'ohino near Hao Springs Road.

Fire Department personnel took the woman to Kona Community Hospital by helicopter, and police said she was in critical condition.

Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Section in Kona are investigating the case as an attempted murder.

TWO LOST HIKERS ON VOLCANO FOUND

Two hikers who became lost overnight Thursday while trying to view lava activity on the Big Island were found uninjured yesterday morning by Hawai'i County firefighters.

The men, ages 29 and 32, left for their hike from the parking lot at the end of Highway 130 in Kalapana at about 2:30 p.m. to view lava activity above Royal Gardens, Big Island firefighters said.

Shortly before 2 a.m., the men used a cell phone to call 911 and reported that they were cold and wet and lost at an elevation of about 2,000 feet.

Firefighters could not find the hikers in the darkness. Another crew returned at daybreak, found the men and returned them to the parking area.

POLICE SEEK AID IN WAI'ALAE ASSAULT

Police yesterday asked for the public's help in finding a man who assaulted an employee at the American Red Cross testing facility in Wai'alae on Wednesday.

Police said a man entered the facility at 4680 Kalaniana'ole Highway about 10:30 a.m. and demanded that a female employee open a safe. When the woman couldn't, the man assaulted her, police said.

The man is descibed as 5 feet 8 and 160 to 170 pounds, in his 30s, with dark brown wavy hair and brown eyes. He has a one-inch cross tattooed on his neck.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone.

KA'ANAPALI FIRE BURNS 20 ACRES

Maui firefighters last night contained a brushfire that burned an estimated 20 acres near Halawai Drive in Ka'anapali.

No homes were threatened and no roads were closed, a county spokeswoman said.

The fire was reported at 7:39 p.m. and declared contained at 9:30. It was about 300 yards from a rental car facility. Four fire engine companies fought the blaze.

BRANDT ENDOWED CHAIR APPROVED

The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents approved the establishment of the Gladys Kamakakuokalani 'Ainoa Brandt Endowed Chair at UH-Manoa.

The position will be created from a commitment of nearly $1.1 million from the Gladys 'Ainoa Brandt Estate.

The gift was made to establish an endowed chair in comparative Polynesian studies at the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the UH-Manoa Hawai'inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge to focus and maximize the center's interchanges with visiting scholars.

The endowed chair will greatly enhance research at the center, attract students and scholars from throughout Polynesia, and encourage positive dialogues between academic disciplines, the university and the wider community.

A University of Hawai'i alumna, Brandt was an educator and administrator for more than 40 years, and was the first woman principal of a high school in the Territory of Hawai'i.

KINDERGARTEN HELP OFFERED

The Hawaii Children's Discovery Center in Kaka'ako will host an event today geared toward helping children transition into kindergarten.

The goal of "Countdown to Kindergarten" is to get kids excited about going to kindergarten while providing parents with tools and resources to help their children adjust.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 111 'Ohe St. near Kaka'ako Waterfront Park.

Cost is $8 for adults, $5 for children entering kindergarten and $6.75 for other children up to 17.

About 40 percent of Hawai'i kindergarten teachers report that their students are unprepared to learn.

For more information, visit www.discoverycenterhawaii.org.