Firefighters battle blaze at junkyard near scene of Waianae brush fire
ROSEMARIE BERNARDO / RBERNARDO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Black smoke rose above a junkyard at Angel’s Towing and Used Auto Parts in Waianae, where a brushfire flared up.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Fire broke out at Angel’s Towing in Waianae this morning. The business had been threatened by fire last night.
ROSEMARIE BERNARDO / RBERNARDO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Flames ran up the mountain between Makaha and Waianae valleys this morning.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
A brush fire burns out of control Thursday night in Waianae.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Brush fire above Waianae Valley Road , near Diamond J. Ranch, as seen from Kaneaki St.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Brush fire above Waianae Valley Road , near Diamond J. Ranch, as seen from Kaupuni Neighborhood Park.
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Brush fire above Waianae Valley Road , near Diamond J. Ranch, as seen from Kaupuni Neighborhood Park.
Firefighters returned to Angel’s Towing and Used Auto Parts on Waianae Valley Road this morning after stopping a large brush fire from reaching the business Thursday night.
Black smoke and flames rose from the business as firefighters battled the fire that flared up at about 9 a.m.
Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins said strong winds apparently blew embers from the brush fire into an area where junked cars are stored, setting sevearl vehicles on fire.
About 38 Honolulu firefighters and federal firefighters fought the blaze.
Loud popping sounds from the fire woke up Waianae resident Sonny Beebe.
“It sounded like fireworks,” said Beebe.
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Overnight, using hand tools and hoses, Honolulu firefighters stood their ground and stopped the brush fire before it reached homes on Piliuka Place.
Firefighters positioned units along Piliuka Place to safeguard homes and agricultural structures threatened by the approaching fire front after the fire broke out at about 7:12 p.m. Thursday night, Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins said in an email. “As the fire front approached the residential properties, firefighters engaged the flames. … At approximately 1:30 a.m. the fire front near the Piliuka Place homes was contained,” he said.
Jenkins said the fire is 50 percent contained mostly at lower elevations, but was burning out of control in mostly inaccessible areas of the mountain and valley.
Helicopters are dropping water on the flames.
Fresh crews replaced firefighters exhausted from going up and down the hillside overnight to battle the raging flames.More than a dozen firefighters were at the Waianae Boat Harbor cleaning their equipment and resting on a low rock wall at about 6 a.m.
“Those guys are extremely exhausted,” said Jenkins said.
The weather forecast for the Waianae area calls for more strong winds today, blowing from the northeast at 15 to 25 mph. No significant rain is in the forecast.
Despite the winds, thick smoke hung over much of Waianae.
The smoke prompted the charter Kamaile Academy in Waianae to close today. Students who were dropped off early were staying in the air-conditioned library until their parents could pick them up.
The gusty winds pushed the fire up along the ridge above Makaha Valley Thursday night, lighting up the night sky.
The winds blew both makai and mauka, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the flames.
The Honolulu Fire Department set up two divisions, one for makai and another for mauka fronts of the fire.
Many residents felt threatened by the fire and self-evacuated.
Firefighters arriving at 7:20 p.m. found a 30-acre brush fire near the Cultural Learning Center at Kaala on the eastern or Lualualei side of Waianae Valley, that quickly spread and intensified as the night wore on, burning along the top of the mountain that separates Waianae and Makaha.
Eighteen fire companies and 50 firefighters fought the fire in difficult terrain, trying to protect homes with limited water supplies delivered by tanker trucks.
Angel’s Towing and Diamond D Ranch were in the vicinity of the fire.
Ac’Lynne Uesugi drove up with her daughter to check on her 69-year-old mother who lives near the ranch and Angel’s.
Her mother texted her, “The flames are bigger now and the sky is lit up.”
Uesugi said her mother was wetting down her acre property to protect it.
But Department of Emergency Management officials would not allow Uesugi and her daughter to walk or drive along the road that leads to the property.
Uesugi noted a “ring of fire,” with some flames getting closer to Mt. Kaala, where a friend of hers lives. That friend told her not to worry about him, but her mother’s house was closer to the fire.
Her daughter, Phoenix Maimita Valentine, 13, commented, “Spectacular view. Something worth witnessing.”
The ranch has horses, goats and cows, Uesugi said.
But Angel’s Towing was closer to the blaze, according to one Waianae resident who was visiting friends in the area.
Randy Mariani, 31, said Angel’s has a lot of vehicles, and there is a lot of gasoline spilled on the soil there.
At about 11:45 p.m., the Fire Department moved some of their operations makai to protect homes in the area of Piliuka Place.
Earlier in the evening, Arthur Gualdarama, 20, whose family lives near Angel’s, said he thought someone’s house was on fire. “I seen the mountain on fire. It amazed me.”
He and a buddy drove up to get close to the fire when it was smaller.
“I hope everybody and their families are safe,” Gualdarama said.
“It was coming so fast,” said Lauden McLean, 18. “The wind took the flame and lit everything up.”
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Star-Advertiser reporters Craig Gima and Nanea Kalani contributed to this story.
21 responses to “Firefighters battle blaze at junkyard near scene of Waianae brush fire”
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Good job!
Sometimes we forget the debt that we owe our firefighters. They are always there for us.
They are compensated for their efforts, just like everyone else in emergency services, i.e. paycheck. Been there, done that.
That’s true but we can still appreciate and thank them for what they do to help us.
I tend to appreciate anyone who works hard at what they do, it’s so rare now a days.
Was just thinking about how the firefighters feel about now. Sun coming up, looking for a new day. Socks are wet and everything is soggy, Maybe had time to get a little dry but tired as hell. Waiting for the oncoming watch. Knowing that this day is gonna be a little upside down. Satisfied with the results but sad for those that lost a lot. Will be glad to get home, shower, dry up, get a little rest and do whatever has to be done. Thats the life of a firefighter. Thanks boys and girls!
Would grass eating goats or sheep help over time?
Sounds like Waianae; who set this fire?
Since this fire is so huge, maybe we should hire more helicopter companies to help with the fire or maybe purchase more helicopters for the fire department.
Need a plane like the mainland, dropping fire retardant. Flying out of Kalaeloa Airport.
They have two. When one is down for service the other one is tasked with being available for the entire island. I would support the purchase of additional helicopter resources.
That’s true but we can still appreciate and thank them for the hard work they do.
Oops posted under wrong comment
Don’t think they need an extra one. If they need more air support I believe they can ask for help from the military. I know the military helped HFD with water drops in the past.
At times, the military come in with a chopper depending on what they have available. But, I haven’t seen that happen in a while.
That was pre-gulf war II, those resources aren’t available since the sequestration. At one time, I was responsible for mobilizing those military choppers when needed by HFD.
Thanks for the info!
God bless our Fire Fighter’s. Please be safe.
Code violations?
A little less junk.
Ever notice that there are more fire stations and fire fighters than paramedics and ambulances? And there are plenty of fire hydrants everywhere you look, right? The reason is, the insurance companies lobby in DC. Insurance companies care more about large losses due to fire than paying off on an individual’s life insurance, the latter is a relatively small expense, comparatively speaking. So, you have many fire stations in heavily populated areas, like Oahu, and less in area of smaller populations, due to fact that there is less property to worry about.This also explains the existence of volunteer fire stations in rural areas. So, what we have in area with many fire stations is a great many fire fighters, sitting around the fire station, waiting for something to happen, this is why their fire apparatus are so nice and clean and shiny, they have a lot of time on their hands during their shift. Now some stations are busier than others, granted, but when that happens, the other stations are activated to either “move up” and cover calls for the busy station, or assist that station with whatever they are handling. And yes, sometimes, during holidays with fireworks, and dry seasons with brush fires they do get very busy, but, that is what they are paid to do, so it evens out in the long run. It is a job, just like any job, and the life of a firefighter is a good one, compared to most people.