Firefighters returned to a Palolo Valley ridge fire Friday afternoon when it rekindled in an area forested with ironwood trees. 

The fire was extinguished at about 5 p.m. Friday, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Kendall Ching. 

The fire, which began Thursday and had been extinguished, rekindled that night. Firefighters stood watch overnight, and returned Friday to put it out. 

However, the fire again rekindled at about 3 p.m., and continued to smoulder. About 20 fire personnel responded, using hand tools to dig and expose hot spots within the the thick layer of ironwood needles, Ching said.

“If you do water drops only, the water won’t seep all the way down,” he said. The fire could get to dry roots beneath the ground, Ching said. 

Firefighters had to hike up the ridge to put out hot spots and a helicopter was used to make water drops.