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COURTESY KAUAI COUNTY
A large brush fire that broke out Saturday morning behind the Lihue airport is affecting flights.
The brush fire that diverted flights from Lihue Airport flared up again early Sunday, the Kauai Fire Department said.
Engine 3 and a battalion chief responded to a flare-up at 3 a.m., doused the flames and saturated the area with water.
At about 8:44 a.m., more fire crews and personnel from the Kauai County Department of Public Works returned to the scene. The public works crew used a bulldozer and a front-end loader to move the debris around while the firefighters thoroughly soaked the exposed areas.
They left the scene at approximately 11:44 p.m., but there was another flare-up at 2:26 p.m. and yet another a couple of hours later, the county said.
About 40 acres was blackened.
The cause of the fire, which broke out at 8:21 a.m. Saturday, was undetermined. But it put enough smoke in the area to prompt controllers to divert at least three flights.
