A fire crew from the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife on Maui was to arrive on Kauai today to help battle a massive wildfire on Milolii Ridge in the Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve.
Fourteen crew members from Maui will join Kauai firefighters, fire crews from the Forestry Division on Kauai and Oahu, and federal firefighters to battle the fire, which has consumed 200 acres since Monday.
Maui’s crew was to assist with ground firefighting and logistical support.
The wildfire — burning six miles southwest of Kokee State Park in molasses grass and slash pine — was reported Monday afternoon to the state Forestry Division on Kauai.
No structures are threatened, but there is concern that the fire could spread to the Kuia Natural Area Reserve, home to threatened and endangered plants, including Kokia kauaiensis, a native hibiscus, according to a DLNR news release.
On Thursday, three helicopters dropped water on the fire in areas that were difficult to reach on foot, the DLNR said. Two state wildfire trucks with mobile water pump units and a Kauai County Public Works water tanker provided water for the helicopters.
The Forestry Division personnel also constructed a fire line and extinguished hot spots with hand tools, with support from a Kauai Fire Department crew, according to DLNR. A crew from the Pacific Missile Range Facility also established a perimeter around one of their facilities in the area.
Milolii Ridge Trail, meanwhile, remains closed until the wildfire is extinguished.
It’s believed the blaze might have started from an unauthorized camping fire, the DLNR said.
