Some Waianae Valley residents left their homes Thursday night due to a brush fire — the third in the valley this week.
The fire spread along one wall of a mountain valley and had burned about 150 acres by 8 p.m. but did not damage any structures, said Honolulu fire Capt. Terry Seelig.
He said firefighters were able to stop the fire from reaching about eight houses, orchid farms or farm lots near Piliuka Place.
Police warned the residents that they should prepare to evacuate, and some of them did, he said.
The Red Cross opened a shelter Thursday night at Waianae District Park.
Seelig said the fire broke out at about 3 p.m. A fire helicopter made water drops at the top flank of the fire to keep it from reaching the ridgeline and continuing over into Makaha Valley.
Federal firefighters, who were working on extinguishing the larger Lualualei fire that started on Monday, were asked to help and diverted a Marine CH-53 helicopter, two fire vehicles and four firefighters to the Piliuka Place fire, said Agnes Tauyan, Navy spokeswoman.
Seelig said Thursday’s fire was unrelated to the Lualualei fire or a 3-acre brush fire that burned near Piliuka Place on Wednesday. The cause was undetermined.
In the Piliuka Place area, firefighters ceased operations at about 8 p.m. Seelig said city firefighters would remain overnight to monitor the fire, which was still uncontained.
Meanwhile, state and federal firefighters were working to extinguish the 1,200-acre fire that started about 1 p.m. Monday on Lualualei Naval Station.
The fire was only 70 percent contained after burning about 400 acres in the Waianae Kai Forest Reserve, a state Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman said.
