Categorized | News

Brushfire threatens homes in Puna, residents evacuated Wednesday (July 6)

By Hawaii 24/7 Staff

Fire/rescue responded to a 12:29 p.m. alarm Wednesday (July 5) for a brushfire located between Cook and Kapiolani Streets in Puna.

Firefighters arrived to find a fire spreading in vacant lots along Iolani Street spreading mauka and makai due to gusts of trade winds. Crews worked to protect five homes along Cook and Kapiolani Streets as area residents were evacuated.

Crews had a difficulty fighting the fire due to heavy smoke reducing visibility to zero at times. Firefighters encountered Uluhe Ferns, Ohia Trees and unstable a‘a lava terrain while fighting the blaze. Tanker units were brought in to supply water as Chopper One did an aeria survey. Traffic was detoured to Diamond Head Drive and Aloha Road during firefighting operations.

The fire was under control by 1:17 p.m. and four firefighers were left at the scene overnight to insure hotspots and flare-ups were put down. There were no injuries reported and no damage to property in the blaze. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

Quantcast