Brush Fire

Aloha kākou. A huge brush fire has burnt over 40,000-acre wildland in South Kohala. I’ve never seen a fire this large before on the Big Island. West Hawai’i always has wild fires, but this was the largest I’ve ever seen. Last night there was a mandatory evacuation of Wailkola Village, after a few hours when emergency crews stabilized the fire, people were allowed to return to their homes. However, Civil Defense cautioned that the situation could change and people should prepare themselves if need be.

Hawaiʻi County officials provided media outlets and the community with a 7 p.m. HST update on the current brushfire engulfing parts of Waimea and South Kohala. Much of this land in the Waiki’i area is ranchland. It is dry and very isolated. The roads are dirt and some require a four wheel vehicles to cross.

“The fire is still very much a threat but it seems stabilized compared to yesterday,” said Hawaii County Spokesman Cyrus Johnasen. “Don’t let your guard down. Be prepared today. We’re still in an emergency. We do have crews on scene they are managing about things as best as possible.”

Hawaii Fire Department was able to fly the perimeter of the blaze Monday morning, measuring it at more than 40,000 acres spanning from Mana Road and Pu’u Kapu in Waimea to Waiki’i Ranch and down to within a few miles of Waikoloa Village. Two homes in the Department of Hawaiian Homelands Pu’u Kapu Subdivision in Waimea were lost in the fire that broke out at 11 a.m. Friday.

Waikoloa Village is near to the Waikoloa Resort area. This is a major tourist attraction. With shops, resort hotels, timeshares, upscale restaurants, golf courses. It nestles along the shoreline with manicured beaches and where you can swim with the dolphins. Thousands of people live in Waikoloa Village. Many work at the resort.

Highway 190, also known as Mamalahoa Highway, remained closed as of 10 a.m. Monday between Ala ‘Ohia and Waikoloa roads, as did the Old Saddle Road from its junction at Highway 190 to the Daniel K. Inouye Highway. Waikoloa Road is also closed above the village to Highway 190. That’s a major travel thoroughfare between West and East Hawai’i Island.

Hawaii County officials are asking residents and visitors to remain vigilant and to be prepared to evacuate if needed as firefighters continue to battle a 40,000-acre fire that threatened Waikoloa village. I’m waiting for the next update on the fire to be released. Right now, residents are told to keep ready should they lose control of the fire. Two homes in the Department of Hawaiian Homelands Pu’u Kapu Subdivision in Waimea were lost in the fire that broke out at 11 a.m. Friday.

Pohakuloa Military reservation has several Blackhawk helicopters helping to fight the fire. “The fire is still very much a threat, but it seems stabilized compared to yesterday,” said Hawaii County Spokesman Cyrus Johnasen. “Don’t let your guard down. Be prepared today. We’re still in an emergency. We do have crews on scene they are managing about things as best as possible.” High winds are fanning the flames and spreading the fire over large swaths of ranchland.

KHON2 News posted this on tonight’s broadcast. An interview with local residents in the Pu’u Kapu area. As you can see, the area is very dry and dusty in this part of Hawai’i Island. It’s a very quiet location on the island. Mostly ranches raising cattle, horses, goats and other animals. This location is in the upper elevations anywhere from 5,000ft to 1,000ft. Hawai’i Civil Defense just published this a few moments ago:

“This is a Brush Fire update for Monday, August 2. All evacuation shelters have been closed. As of 5:30 pm the Hawaii Police Department has opened Waikoloa Road from Paniolo Drive to Highway 190.  Highway 190 has also been opened from Waimea to the Daniel K. Inouye intersection.  Old Saddle Road remains closed, but Waikii residents will be allowed to access to their property. Fire crews will continue working through the evening and monitor the fire.  Please stay tuned to your radio for updates and changes in fire conditions”.

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Today started with passing showers, followed by partially cloudy skies with occasional passing showers. Tradewinds are from the northeast at 9mph with gusts at 20mph. Cloud cover is 59%. Visibility is 10 miles. We got  just under 9/16th inch of precipitation in the rain gauge overnight. Temperatures are in the mid 70’s. Humidity is at 85%. Barometric pressure is 30.04 inch and dewpoint is 79 degrees. UV index is 6.

ʻAukake ‘Elua, 2021

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