Brush blaze busies Army firefighters
A brush fire touched off Tuesday has so far burned about 400 acres near Oahu’s North Shore, according to U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii.
The burn area includes Schofield Barracks training range terrain and Dole property.
There were no reported injuries tied to the blaze Thursday, and it has not posed a threat to facilities, Army officials said in news release.
The fire started as a flare-up from a brush fire that first ignited Oct. 15. That fire was fully contained Sunday evening, with no visible signs of smoke or hot spots.
On Wednesday firefighters from both the Army and Marines worked on the ground to contain the flare-up, which blanketed the area with dense smoke. Six helicopters, including one from the Honolulu Fire Department, were used for water bucket drops. The Army also used an unmanned aerial drone to help identify hot spots. The Army continued firefighting efforts Thursday, with water bucket drops starting at 6:30 a.m., Army officials said.
No threatened and endangered species were affected, officials said.
No prescribed burns were taking place Tuesday or last week.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
State seeks $2 million to fix erosion by river
HANALEI, Kauai >> The state has proposed spending nearly $2 million to restore a 100-foot section of eroded stream bank on Kauai’s Hanalei River.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources says a breach dating to the mid-1990s is polluting the environment, degrading the stream and reef, and reducing water flow to nearby taro fields and a wildlife refuge.
The Garden Island reported flood flows have repeatedly broken through emergency repairs. The breach channel has also expanded with every major flood.
If left untreated, the department said the river will carve a new channel across private and state-owned properties and leave 1,000 feet of the Hanalei River dry.
Shark turns up in area near Maui attack
A 6-foot shark was spotted Thursday morning in West Maui waters where a 45-year-old Maui man was attacked by a shark Wednesday afternoon.
State Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement officers returned to check the coastline along Kaehu Bay between Paukukalo and Waiehu when they saw a 6-foot shark of unknown species at 6:28 a.m.
The officers spotted the shark in the surf about 50 yards offshore, but it disappeared and was not seen again, DLNR said.
Officers continued to monitor the area until noon Thursday, then reopened the beaches.
