HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu Police Department said cameras were a big help in identifying 70-year-old suspect Antonio Vierra, who was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with arson for starting a fire in Kunia on Saturday, Aug. 23.
He posted $50,000 bail and was released. His court date is set for Tuesday.
The cameras were installed as part of Hawaiian Electric’s “Wildfire Safety Strategy,” following the deadly Lahaina wildfire, which claimed over 100 lives back in Aug. 2023.
To date, there are about 150 ALERTWest’s Situational Awareness Platform cameras placed across the state to help alert agencies and the public of wildfire risk.
“They really are a critical tool that have been put in place, and it helps to give us more of what we refer to as situational awareness,” explained Darren Pai, HECO spokesperson. “That means more information about what’s happening in real time, out in the field, so that our system operators and emergency response agencies can see what’s happening out there, and can, you know, decide in the appropriate course of action.”
The cameras are 4K high definition and provide clear images to emergency responders and the public. “They’re assisted by AI so that it can identify signs of fire such as smoke or flames,” Pai explained.
The ALERTWest command center is staffed 24/7 and has professionals who monitor the feeds across the country. Pai said humans then validate the AI information and then send out notifications to agencies.
“Everybody understands the value of having more real-time information, so that decisions can be made quickly,” Pai continued.
HFD said it uses the ALERTWest Situational Awareness Platform for fire confirmation, weather conditions, and smoke size.
This week, the cameras helped Honolulu Police identify an arson suspect.
Since Aug. 11, agencies said there were eight fires reported on Kunia Road.
“During the investigation, the state Fire Marshal provided HPD detectives with photographs that appeared to show a suspect igniting the fire, the images also captured a light colored older model Dodge Ram quad pickup with blue pinstripes,” HPD’s Lt. Deena Thoemmes of Homicide Detail said during a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
The images from the ALERTWest Situational Awareness Platform website show a vehicle with pinstripes at 11:59 a.m. on Aug 19, and then a fire two minutes later.
HFD told KHON2 the 911 call came in at 12:03 p.m. that day when the fire spread so quickly that evacuations were ordered for Kunia Camp.
At 12:06 p.m., the vehicle is seen parked across the street from the fire, and by the time fire crews arrive, it’s gone.
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“The photographs were far away and the description of the suspect could not be made at that time,” explained Thoemmes.
HPD had put out a bulletin for the suspect’s vehicle and had been patrolling the Kunia area following the fire on Aug. 19.
The truck was picked up on camera again on Aug. 22, but no fire was started.
The same truck with pinstripes is seen again on Aug. 23 in the same spot as the day before at 10:56 a.m.
This time, a fire is seen in the distance, and a person is standing next to the truck at 11:01 a.m.
Two hours later, the suspect was arrested in Haleiwa near another fire.
“The suspect was identified as Antonio Vierra who is operating a Dodge Ram pickup truck. Homicide detectives confirmed that Vierra matched the description captured on wildfire cameras earlier that day,” HPD said.
A trained canine was also used to find traces of accelerant at the multiple scenes throughout the two weeks.
HPD said witnesses also submitted their videos to help the case, and Vierra’s clothes have been submitted as evidence to detect accelerants.
Vierra has been charged and accused of setting the Saturday, Aug. 23, fire in Kunia, which came within 900 feet of homes.