KUNIA, Hawaii (Island News) -- The Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney charged Antonio Vierra on Friday with arson in the second degree for allegedly causing one of more than half a dozen wildland fires along Kunia Road.
Vierra is currently out on bail set at $50,000.
After breathing a sigh of relief, the Kunia community's once again on high alert.
"People are watching being mindful of the potential danger," said Robert Dawson, co-founder of Ko Hana Distillers.
That's after hundreds of acres went up in flames. Fires in recent weeks coming dangerously close to homes, farms and businesses, destroying 15 acres of sugarcane used to make rum at Ko Hana Distillers.
"Our losses are approaching a million dollars for that 15 acre field," Dawson said. "We had some equipment in the field and the fire moved so fast we couldn't get it out of there."
"So I was really excited to hear that they'd apprehended the suspect and, you know, he was going to be sort of off the streets," he said.
But now that the arson suspect is out on bail "there's definitely concern," he added. "I mean things are still very dry, you know, the trade winds have been on and off strong. There's still a lot of danger in that area. It wouldn't have taken much for it to have swept right into the Kunia camp village and affected all of those homes and people, not to mention all the businesses."
He's accused of setting at least one of the more than half a dozen fires in recent weeks in the rural community.
"The front of our gates, the security's been advised that he is out now and he's not allowed on premise," said Charles Donaldson, board president at the Kunia Loa Ridge Farmlands. "Just outside the gate is the only concern that we have. And so we're working along with few other folks to see how we can start clearing a fire line and things like that."
They are also being extra vigilant for suspicious behavior.
"There's a whole lot more eyes that are vigilant on that road, but at the same time because of the previous fires a lot of that shrubs and things like that that were part of that the fire like all the grasses and stuff that weren't maintained, have essentially been burned off now," Donaldson said.
HPD said officers are not monitoring the arson suspect, but they are keeping an eye on the area where the alleged crimes took place for any suspicious activity.