Firefighters contain 85% of Kauai wildfire

Firefighters have contained about 85 percent of a 3,000-acre Kauai wildfire as Kauai Island Utility Cooperative crews restored electricity to about 130 customers in Kokee.

The Kokee residents and businesses had been without power since Saturday when the utility cut electrity to power lines to protect firefighters battling the blaze near the lines.

Crews finished replacing 11 utility poles damaged  by the fire and restored power at 6:43 p.m. Tuesday. The fire also damaged radio and fiber optic cables.

Waimea Canyon Road was reopened Tuesday, but Kokee Road remained closed.

Kauai County had asked for a voluntary evacuation of Kokee because the closed roads and power outage would have made it difficult to evacuate the area if the flames actually began threatening the town.

The fire broke out shortly after midnight Thursday near Pokii Ridge in Kokee  and spread to Paua and Waiaka ridges.