Fire on DKI 60% contained

Daniel K. Inouye Highway as of Saturday evening remained closed in both directions from Old Saddle Road to Highway 190 as fire personnel worked to extinguish a brushfire.

The fire, which broke out Friday afternoon, had consumed approximately 320 acres as of Saturday evening. Firefighters with the Hawaii Fire Department, including paid and volunteer personnel, U.S. Army Pohakuloa Training Area and state Division of Forestry and Wildlife worked overnight to contain the blaze near mile marker 48 on the Kona side of Daniel K. Inouye Highway. As of press time Saturday, the fire was about 75% contained.

Twenty-six units from HFD, the state and U.S. Army worked to contain the fire.

In addition to firefighters, helicopters were making waterdrops on the flames and bulldozers were able to cut a firebreak around the fire. Crews remained overnight Saturday.

This fire comes two weeks after the largest brushfire in Big Island history scorched more than 40,000 acres. Parker Ranch, using NASA data, said the fire burned 47,000 acres. A brush fire Wednesday afternoon scored about 5 acres in the same area as Friday’s fire.