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DLNR: Waianae brush fire is 80 percent contained

Kathryn Mykleseth
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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

The Department of Land and Natural Resource continued to fight the wildfire in Waianae Kai Forest Reserve on Sunday.

The Department of Land and Natural Resource continued to fight the wildfire in Waianae Kai Forest Reserve on Sunday.

Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for DLNR, said 14 people and one helicopter were sent out to try to contain the fire, which started Thursday night.

Ward said the fire was 80 percent contained Saturday night.

On Saturday DLNR sent 16 ground personnel and used contracted helicopters to fight the fire in the lower part of the reserve as about 400 acres in the forest reserve were affected by the fire. The foliage in the area consists of dense guinea grass, koa haole, silk oak and other non-native species.

The fire started Thursday night damaging an estimated 2,000 acres in Waianae Valley. On Friday gusty wind pushed the fire near homes. Also due to the wind, the fire engulfed an auto parts business, torching hundreds of used cars on the lot.

The Honolulu Fire Department personnel managed to push it back, and the fire was contained to the forest reserve on Saturday.

On Saturday, the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife took over and the Honolulu Fire Department shifted to a support role. HFD offered its tender vehicle for refueling and maintenance of helicopters, and a water tank, but did not deploy its own firefighters on the ground.

Capt. David Jenkins, public information officer for the Honolulu Fire Department said there was no HFD operations going on Sunday in regards to the brush fire.

“We are not actively dispatched to that fire, if there are any calls from the neighbors we will respond accordingly,” he said.

The last major fire in the upper valley burned 1,200 acres in June 2012, including 400 acres of forest reserve.

3 responses to “DLNR: Waianae brush fire is 80 percent contained”

  1. SteveToo says:

    Today is the 20th and yet the latest update is tomorrow at 1205 a.m. Something wrong with that??? I’m typing this at 910 p.m. on the 20th. LOL Love this newspaper. LOL

  2. WizardOfMoa says:

    This picture of black smoke and an electric pole that seems like a crucified Christ in the foreground, could it be a metaphor of the way we live and whom we need to set us toward a pathway of redemption?

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