Reports that a small airplane had gone down in a field near the Waipi'o Costco sent Honolulu firefighters and police officers scrambling around midday yesterday.

But in the end, the report turned out to be a false alarm, according to fire Capt. Robert Main.

"We couldn't find anything, and the FAA has no reports of missing aircraft," Main said.

Firefighters normally receive multiple reports when airplanes crash, Main said, but this report came from a single caller, who said a Cessna was down in an agricultural field near Costco.

"We couldn't see an aircraft in the open field," Main said.

WIND RIPS ROOF FROM KA'U HIGH

High winds, possibly related to a "dust devil" cloud seen in the vicinity, tore a large section of roof off Ka'u High School yesterday morning.

The National Weather Service said it had received reports from the public about a possible dust devil in the area, but could not confirm the reports.

Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 11:30 a.m. to find a 30- to 40-foot-by-80-foot section of the roof missing and an adjoining section of roof that appeared loose.

The incident occurred as the entire state, except for the summit areas of the Big Island, remained under high-wind alert. The alert is effective until 6 a.m. today.

The wind is being generated by a high-pressure system to the north-northwest.

The weather service yesterday reported gusts of up to 60 mph in Kawaihae on the Big Island, and up to 47 mph at Makua on O'ahu.