Emergency Crews Fight Large Bush Blaze on Hawaiian Island

Firefighters on the Hawaiian island of Oahu—on which Honolulu is situated—are battling a bush fire near the town of Wahiawa after a series of large wildfires tore across the nearby island of Maui last week.

Fire crews were called out at around 4 p.m. local time (10 p.m. ET) on Wednesday to an area near the Kukaniloko Birth Stones—a historic site thought to be the birthplace of royals during the time of the Kingdom of Hawaii, to the north of Wahiawa—according to various local reports.

Firefighters evacuated some homeless individuals who were in the path of the bush fire, but said no housing evacuations had been enforced. Hawaii News Now wrote that the nearby Lake Wilson had provided a natural barrier to stop the flames reaching homes.

Captain Jaimie Song of the Honolulu Fire Department told Newsweek in a statement on Thursday evening that the fire had spread across 450 acres of land and was 50 percent contained. She could not say how many units had been dispatched to fight the blaze, but said an air unit had been making water drops.

Images of the fire posted on social media show tall columns of smoke rising from a bright yellow flame a field's width from the road, and in one shot, dark smoke blocking out the sunset over Wahiawa.

The U.S. Army Garrison in Hawaii, which is stationed in the Schofield Barracks directly west of Wahiawa, said both Honolulu Fire Department and Army Fire crews had been dispatched to battle the blaze.

It later announced that "as a precaution, Hawaiian Electric has deenergized the Wahiawa-Waialua line that powers the Castner Substation on Schofield Barracks. Crews are working to contain the fire and also inspect power lines in the affected area to safely restore power as soon as possible."

By 10:25 p.m. on Wednesday, power to the area had largely been restored, the U.S. Army Garrison said, while the fire remained to the north of the Kamehameha Highway, the main road that runs through Wahiawa north to south before turning northwest to join other main roads, with Hawaii Fire Department crews remaining at the scene and "overseeing the firefighting efforts."

Rick Black, a spokesperson for the garrison, told Newsweek that two helicopters, a UH-60 Black Hawk and a CH-47 Chinook, from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade had provided water drops.

There is mounting evidence suggesting fallen power lines during hurricane winds could have sparked some of the wildfires that spread across Maui, which was at the time experiencing a period of hot, dry weather. Hawaiian Electric Industries is now facing a lawsuit from residents for not de-energizing the lines despite a warning of the strong winds from the National Weather Service.

Hawaii News Now reported, citing fire officials, that 15 units with 43 firefighters were taking on the bush fire in Wahiawa, with an air unit undertaking water drops before it had to suspend operations due to darkness.

Large bush fires on Maui have caused devastation for families, mass evacuations and extensive destruction to the historic resort town of Lahaina. The fires broke out early last week and spread rapidly on hurricane-driven winds from a passing storm.

So far, 106 people have been confirmed as dead and more than 1,000 remain unaccounted for as emergency responders comb burned homes for human remains. Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79—both Lahaina residents—have been identified among the dead. A further three bodies had been identified, but their names have not been released while their families are being notified.

In the latest update, County of Maui officials said that the fire around Lahaina—which spanned an estimated 2,170 acres—was 85 percent under control, with multiple fire crews monitoring it. Another blaze on the island is now entirely contained, while a third was 75 percent so.

Update 08/18/23, 2:50 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from the Honolulu Fire Department and the U.S. Army Garrison in Hawaii.

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