KAILUA-KONA — As fire crews gain control of a massive brush fire in Waikoloa, another blaze is tearing through areas of Ka‘u and into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, damaging koa forest.
The Ka‘u fire, named the Mauna Loa brush fire, is estimated to be about 700 acres and is not contained, officials reported Monday afternoon. According to a press release from the National Park Service, the fire was sparked during repairs to a bulldozer Sunday morning.
NPS officials say the fire began on Keauhou Ranch and crossed Mauna Loa Road into the national park. The flames continue to move west toward Kapapala Ranch.
“Strong winds and dry conditions at the fire’s 4,800-foot elevation are making it a challenge to control,” the NPS release says. “No homes or structures are currently at risk, but the fire has scorched native koa forest, which provides important habitat to endangered and endemic species like the Hawaiian hawk and Hawaiian bat.”
On Monday, Hawaii Fire Department Chief Darren Rosario said the county was assisting with the Mauna Loa brush fire by doing helicopter water drops. County crews also continue efforts to stamp out the Waikoloa fire, which has consumed 18,000 acres since it was ignited Wednesday.
Rosario said the Waikoloa fire was about 95 percent contained as of Monday afternoon. County and state crews from the Division of Forestry and Wildlife remained on sight with the primary objective to mop up hot spots and reinforce firebreaks. While there have been larger brush fires in the past, Rosario said this is the largest blaze in recent history.
The chief said firefighters did a great job mitigating the fire. No structures were damaged and he expressed gratitude for the patience of the residence in the fire zones at Waikoloa Village and Puuanahulu.
The large brush fire impacted people islandwide, shutting down long stretches of roadway on Highway 190 and closing Waikoloa Road. The roads are now open.
Battalion Chief Michael Grace said firefighters worked hard to keep the blaze under control last week. At the time flames were ignited off Highway 190, Grace said, it got too big too fast with the help of high winds and dry fuels.
Grace added the area in Waikoloa had received a lot of rain in the past and it had become overgrown.
“We knew it was coming,” he said about the massive brush fire. “When it dries out, (the area is) susceptible to fire.”
Grace added the fire season isn’t finished yet. While fires can strike at any time, Rosario said fire season is typically between July and October.
County firefighters also stretched resources to a small brush fire that ignited in the Kaalualu area next to the Green Sands subdivision. Rosario said it started Sunday. As of Monday, the chief said it was contained at 155 acres with smoldering spots.
While the ignition cause of the Waikoloa fire and the small brush fire in the Kaalualu area are currently unknown, Rosario said he doesn’t suspect they were intentionally set.
Email Tiffany DeMasters at tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com.
