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A one-acre brush fire in Kaumakani rekindled several times before it was fully extinguished late Thursday night, Kauai County officials said.
Officials said no one was injured and no structures were damaged by the blaze in Kauai’s southwestern shore area, between Hanapepe and Waimea.
The blaze broke out at around 2:15 p.m. Thursday near an illegal dumping area along Kaumualii Highway in Kaumakani.
Fire officials reported that abandoned vehicles, tires, and other miscellaneous items that caught fire caused a thick, black smoke that created hazardous driving conditions for nearby motorists. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Firefighters from the Hanapepe and Waimea stations responded to the scene and cleared a perimeter around the fire to prevent it from spreading, officials said. Police were called to the scene to direct alternating traffic flow on Kaumualii Highway, near the Kaumakani Thrifty Mart, until the fire was contained at around 3 p.m.
Firefighters left the scene at about 4 p.m. but returned four hours later to extinguish a small hotspot that had reignited. They returned again shortly after 11 p.m. when an abandoned vehicle caught fire, officials said.
A combination of water and foam was used to contain the blaze, and additional water tenders were provided by the county’s Department of Water and Gay & Robinson, a private company.
