This week's Lana'i brushfire was caused by a downed power line that had been felled by high winds, officials say.

The fire began at noon Tuesday and required firefighters from Maui to help Lana'i firefighters, authorities said. Puffs of smoke could be seen through Thursday afternoon while firefighters mopped up flare-ups.

The fire burned an estimated 1,000 acres. About 600 guests and employees of the Four Seasons at Manele Bay were briefly evacuated. No injuries or damages to structures were reported.

LIFEGUARDS WARN OF JELLYFISH INFLUX

Lifeguards spotted about 400 box jellyfish in Waikiki yesterday morning and posted warning signs from Hanauma Bay to Ala Moana Beach Park as the first day of the monthly influx of box jellyfish began, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city's emergency services department.

"The numbers are bordering on a high influx, which is a little unusual because it's the first day," Cheplic said. "Typically the highest influx occurs on the peak day," which is today.

The unusually high numbers for Waikiki may have been caused by the kona wind conditions, Cheplic said.

Lifeguards only spotted 10 to 20 box jellyfish at Hanauma Bay and Ala Moana, Cheplic said.

For more information about box jellyfish and treating stings, go to www.hawaiibeachsafety.org or www.808jellyfish.com.

BLAZE DAMAGES KONA BUILDING

Fire caused an estimated $70,000 in damage yesterday to a Hawai'i Modular Space building in Kailua, Kona, on the Big Island, firefighters said.

The 8:25 a.m. fire was extinguished by 8:46. Fire personnel included a fire engine, a brush truck and a medic unit that responded to the blaze at 73-4092 Hlikoa Drive.

When firefighters arrived they found a fire in the main room of the 1,056-square-foot modular office building. The doors were locked and bolted from outside and no one was in the building at the time.

CANCER CENTER HAS INTERIM CHIEF

Dr. Michele Carbone has been named interim director of the University of Hawai'i's Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i.

The appointment was made yesterday today at the UH Board of Regents monthly meeting on Kaua'i.

Carbone will begin Dec. 1. He replaces Dr. Carl Wilhelm-Vogel, who stepped down earlier this month. Wilhelm-Vogel will assist in the transition, working with Carbone and Vice Chancellor Gary Ostrander.

The university will launch a nationwide search for a permanent director.

Currently, Carbone is director of the Cancer Research Center's Thoracic Oncology Program and chair of the Department of Pathology at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. He joined the university in 2006 from Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and has spent most of his career researching thoracic cancer.