Red-flag weather conditions complicated a busy Sunday for Honolulu Fire Department personnel as they scrambled to battle fires in Laie, Hawaii Kai and Makakilo and aid distressed boaters at Kahala Beach and the Honolulu Airport Reef Runway.
The state was under a red-flag warning Sunday because of the fire danger posed by low humidity and strong tradewinds.
"We had alarms all over the place," said HFD spokesman Capt. Rick Karasaki. "The high winds, temperature and humidity all came together to create really adverse conditions for firefighting and ocean rescue."
The day started with a 6:49 a.m. brush fire call at Poohaili Street and Cane Haul Road in Laie. Although the fire was slowed by green vegetation and a relative lack of wind, its location high on a ridge made it difficult for firefighters to reach.
Fire crews battled the fire through the afternoon and early evening. However, because of the numerous fire and rescue operations going on elsewhere on the island, it wasn’t until late afternoon that they were able to get assistance from HFD’s Air 1 helicopter. (The helicopter was also involved in a two-hour search for a body reportedly seen floating in the ocean off Maile Beach Park. The call turned out to be a well-intended false alarm.)
At about 11:30 a.m. firefighters responded to a call involving a mysterious Jeep fire that sparked a 50-acre brush fire around the Hawaii Kai Golf Course.
"It’s looking kind of suspicious," Karasaki said. "No one is here to claim this vehicle."
The Jeep caught fire and was destroyed along Kalanianaole Highway, about a quarter-mile on the Waimanalo side of Kealahou Street. The subsequent brush fire burned along the golf course but did not disrupt play and caused no damage or injuries.
Karasaki said the dry, windy conditions hindered the efforts of the 23 firefighters and six firetrucks that battled the brush fire.
Police initially closed both directions of Kalanianaole Highway, then later contra-flowed traffic along the highway near Sandy Beach.
The fire was brought under control by 12:38 p.m.
Less than two hours later, firefighters were called to a two-story single-family home in Makakilo, where an initially small fire in a garage ended up engulfing a motorcycle and two cars parked outside.
According to Karasaki, the two occupants of the house at 92-2045 Kulihi St. returned home from a swap meet and smelled smoke. After determining the fire was in the garage, one of the residents tried unsuccessfully to put it out using a fire extinguisher.
Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control within 15 minutes and had it fully extinguished within an hour.
Karasaki said the fire appeared to have started near the motorcycle. However, the exact cause has not yet been determined.
The fire was contained to the garage. No damage estimates were immediately available.
Fire rescue personnel were also kept active by Sunday’s windy conditions.
At 10:09 a.m. rescue personnel were dispatched to help two boaters whose dinghy ran aground when high winds pushed the vessel into shallow water near the Reef Runway. Ocean Safety personnel were able to rescue the stranded boaters using a Zodiac inflatable boat, and an HFD boat towed the dinghy off the reef.
While that rescue was happening, another fire rescue crew was busy rescuing an exhausted paddler in the ocean off of Kahala Beach.
Karasaki said the man, believed to be in his 50s, was paddling a one-man canoe in a pod with six other people when he experienced "severe exhaustion and cramps." The other paddlers helped the man stay afloat amid the rough seas until HFD’s Boat 34 was able to bring him back to shore.
"And those were only the major incidents," Karasaki said. "We had alarms all day long because of the weather conditions."
