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Three helicopters and ground crews battled a 200-acre brush fire in the mountains across Farrington Highway from Keaau Beach Park on Monday.
The wildfire does not threaten property and remains far from from any endangered plants or animals. The fire was at least a half mile from the closest homes and from the highway Monday evening, said fire Capt. Terry Seelig.
The fire was mainly being fought with water drops by the Honolulu Fire Department’s Air 1 helicopter and two private copters contracted by the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Army wildfire range control and state ground crews were flown up to use hand tools to create a firebreak.
The winds, about 15 to 20 mph, were blowing mauka, causing the fire to move away from homes.
The fire did generate a lot of smoke and ash, Seelig said.
At 5:30 p.m., the fire continued to burn and spread, but was slowly moving toward the special areas with endangered species, Seelig said.
The water drops were expected to continue until dark.
