Naalehu brush fire consumes 15 acres

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Firefighters Thursday continued efforts to extinguish a brush fire that consumed about 15 acres east of Naalehu.

Firefighters Thursday continued efforts to extinguish a brush fire that consumed about 15 acres east of Naalehu.

The fire in pasture land makai of Highway 11 was listed as 98 percent contained Thursday evening, according to the Hawaii Fire Department. The fire broke out about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday near mile marker 63.

Fire crews were scheduled to remain on the scene throughout the night to quash any hot spots or flare-ups, according to the department. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Highway 11 was closed in the area for several hours before opening to one lane of travel. The highway reopened about 4 a.m. on Thursday, according to police.