Firefighters battled a brush fire in mauka areas of Laupahoehoe on Tuesday afternoon.
Firefighters battled a brush fire in mauka areas of Laupahoehoe on Tuesday afternoon.
By press time Tuesday, it wasn’t clear how large the fire was, how long it had been burning or whether any structures had been impacted. Firefighters were still on the scene by 5 p.m., and calls to the battalion chief seeking more information weren’t immediately returned.
However, a source at the scene at about 3:45 p.m. said firefighters had been battling the blaze for about three hours.
Located in the mauka areas near the ends of Spencer Road and Kihalani Homestead Road, the fire had charred large patches of the hillside and appeared at one point to approach at least one home at the top of the hill near the end of Spencer Road, the source said. The firefighters managed to knock the blaze in that area down, however, using a pair of fire engines and a county helicopter outfitted with a large water bucket.
The helicopter was seen making its way down to a livestock pond in the area several times to refill the bucket and return to drop it on hot spots on the hillside.
Accessing the area was difficult and firefighters were waiting at about 4 p.m. for the arrival of a large, off-road truck that could help fight the blaze in more inaccessible areas.
A four-wheel drive road between Kihalani Homestead Road and Spencer Road appeared to have acted as a natural fire break in a few spots, with areas mauka of the road burned black and smoldering, while makai fields appeared to remain untouched.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.