The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Wednesday a multi-agency firefighting effort has resulted in 90% containment of the Leilani Fire in West Hawaii.
The fire has left 17,000 acres, or 26.5 square miles of burned landscape just south of Waikoloa, the resort area and mauka of Highway 190 near the Puu Lani subdivision. Dozens of firefighters, supported by heavy equipment and air assets, have worked a week toward extinguishment of the wildfire.
While saying the fire is mostly “contained,” they’re not ready to call it “controlled” just yet. Incident commanders want to be as sure, as they can be, this time the fire is out.
“It’s possible, we could see another re-kindle of this fire, as that’s what started it in the first place. The Pohakuloa Training Area federal fire department, first put out a fire here, three-weeks ago. We believe hot spots lay dormant under the ground, and then high winds whipped it up into the major fire we’ve all been fighting for the past week,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Cronin, PTA’s commanding officer.
Steve Bergfeld, an experienced wildland firefighter and Hawaii Island branch manager for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife said, “DOFAW firefighters, joined by PTA, Hawaii Fire Department and National Park Service teams found it difficult to initially slow the fire due to the high winds, the presence of highly flammable and fire adapted fountain grass, and the difficult terrain and access.
“We will continue to monitor the fire, but smoldering and unburned pockets of fuel within the firebreaks will continue to burn until we receive adequate rainfall.” At its most active point the work on the ground was supported by five U.S. Army helicopters, HFD’s two helicopters, and a private aircraft contracted by DOFAW.
