Wahiawa brush fires suspicious, officials say

Firefighters determined two small fires yesterday at Wahiawa Freshwater State Recreation Area are of suspicious origin.

The blazes started about 3:30 p.m. in difficult-to-reach areas and didn’t have any natural ignition sources, said Honolulu fire Capt. Earle Kealoha.

“It could have been accidental, but we know that it was not started by any natural cause,” he said.

Firefighters had to hike about 500 yards to reach the larger 3,000-square-foot fire and about 100 yards to a 300-square-foot fire, he said.

They pulled in hose lines, carried water packs on their backs, and used portable pumps to battle the blazes.

Firefighters with four engines and a tanker brought both blazes under control by 5:30 p.m. Kealoha said firefighters were mopping up.