Kawaihae brush fire scours area, consumes more than 4,650 acres

A brush fire has burned more than 4,650 acres and remained uncontrolled in the Kawaihae area as of Sunday.

The fire began about noon Saturday, Fire Chief Darren J. Rosario said, and began spreading throughout the area.

By Sunday afternoon it was driven into an inaccessible area near the North Kohala Road. Rosario said helicopters would continue to dump water until nightfall and the area would be monitored by five units overnight.

This was after a long struggle, including a time where the blaze threatened two neighborhoods. One was the Kawaihae village. The homes were evacuated as the fire was being driven away from the area. Then it turned towards the village.

“We were OK until it jumped the road,” Rosario said.

Then firefighters converged on the village, linked their hoses to the hydrants and “took a defensive stance,” said Rosario.

The fire ran within a foot of the road into the village and came closer to the bank of mailboxes at the end of the street.

However, the line held and the town suffered no damage, beyond scorched fields and a burned out car in an exterior lot.

The shifting winds caused the fire to head towards Mauna Kea Beach Resort.

Again firefighters concentrated on the area and stopped the flames, which left great swaths of black ground and still-smoldering logs.

Evacuations were called for, but the residents were allowed to return within a day.

Some residents used the emergency shelters put up at Thelma Parker Gym in Waimea and at the Waikoloa Park.

Rosario said the public cooperation made for a much safer and more effective effort.

“I know it’s difficult to have someone come to your door and ask you to leave,” he said, but it’s important for response.

There were also many gifts provided to the firefighters. Food and drinks were brought in throughout the day and stacked on a picnic table.

It’s important for the firefighters to know they are so well supported by the community, Rosario said.

Controlling the fire was undertaken with machinery, tools and untold gallons of water.

Much of that water came from the two assigned helicopters, dropping it from buckets hanging from their bellies. They were able to fill from both the mobile units and some local ponds. Many reservoirs were made available by land owners, which was a great help, said Rosario.

In a way to limit the fire, a bulldozer was deployed. It made a fire break beginning at Palihae Gulch before arcing towards Luahine Gulch. The terrain made it difficult for the bulldozer to create a full firebreak, Rosario said, as it was difficult or impossible to safely clear away some areas.

The size of the fire led him to activate the incident command team, specialists that freed some of his firefighters from desk responsibilities and improved efficiency, he said.

At one point on Sunday night they had 82 people working, many of whom were from other agencies than the fire department. They included volunteer firefighters, people from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and private groups, he said. Other organizations showed up Sunday, including the National Park Service and the Pohakuloa Training Area unit.

Fire Chief Eric Moller of PTA said their equipment allowed them access to some areas county units could not go. This gave Rosario some more flexibility in where to assign crews.

Moller said a fire on an island is like a submarine — everyone has to work together to save it.

A pile of timber awaiting shipment near Kawaihae Harbor ignited, sending dark plumes of smoke that covered Highway 270. It was closed for hours, along with fire-threatened stretches of other streets. By 3:30 p.m. all were reopened.

The cause of the blaze was not known at press time, as efforts focused on controlling the existing blaze.

Some of that control was at the village, where three keiki were carefully dousing every hot spot with a garden hose. All three were covered in ash and dirt from their project and industriously moved the long green hose from point to point, water soaking the ground.