A stubborn wildfire in upper Makakilo continued to flare up Thursday afternoon, Honolulu firefighters said.

About 26 city firefighters and 11 state firefighters were battling the blaze along with a state helicopter, said fire Capt. David Jenkins.

He said firefighters were still making progress on the blaze that started Aug. 22 by two 7-year-old boys playing with a lighter. The fire continues to burn in an inaccessible forested area along steep mountain sides.

The wildfire flares up almost every afternoon as the breeze picks up and the sun warms up the hillside, Jenkins said.

Firefighters contained the fire near homes in the area of Palehua Road, but have only contained about 50 percent of the fire in the forested area.