HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A man charged with failing to prevent the public from danger has been released.
Somsack Phanthavong, 51, was taken into custody after Monday’s fire on Lawelawe Street in Aina Haina. He was charged with failure to control widely dangerous means, a misdemeanor offense.
A judge ordered him to return to court on March 31.
Hawaii News Now obtained exclusive video showing him in the midst of the flames, lifting up large pieces from the rubble and then pulling off and pushing boards on the side of the house.
There was also a big fire at the same home in August, and smaller cooking fires since then.
Neighbors say the former Navy diver has been living in a tree house on the property.
They vented a litany of concerns about past confrontations with the owner, strange visitors, and erratic behavior at a community meeting last September.
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