Barbecue grill touched off Big Island brush fire that destroyed two houses

An unattended barbecue started an 80-acre brush fire yesterday that destroyed two homes and forced dozens of residents to leave their homes on the Big Island, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at about 3:05 p.m. Thursday and evacuated an estimated 50 residents from 30 homes between Luau Drive and Princess Kaiulani Boulevard in Naalehu, authorities said.

By 8 p.m., about 20 firefighters had brought the blaze under control and remained on scene to mop up and monitor hot spots.