Brush Fire Causes Evacuations

Photo courtesy of Maui County

An 80-acre brush fire just south of Molokai Airport caused evacuations and concerns on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Starting around 10:30 a.m. and fanned by gusty winds, the fire moved quickly through dry ag land. The Maui Fire Department evacuated homes in the immediate area out of precaution, and a section of the highway was closed part of the afternoon.

No injuries were reported; a shed structure and an abandoned car burned in the fire.

Two helicopters fought the fire by air, while eight fire vehicles were called in to battle the blaze on the ground. Molokai and Maui-based callback firefighters, a battalion chief and fire investigator were among the staff on scene, along with personnel and heavy equipment from County Public Works and State of Hawaii airport firefighters, were all deployed in the effort to contain the fire.

Heavy equipment was used to cut access roads for firefighters, with helicopters shuttling fire crews from Maui, as well as making water drops.

Thanks to the robust effort, the fire was 100 percent contained by 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night, with road closures and evacuations lifted by 4:30 p.m. Firefighters stayed overnight to monitor and extinguish hot spots, with mop up efforts continuing into Wednesday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to the Maui Fire Dept.