Gusty winds challenged fire crews battling a wildfire that broke out before dawn Sunday in Nanakuli Valley, prompting residents to flee, before it spread to Waianae.

As of 4:30 p.m. the fire had burned 500 acres across the two valleys and was 80 percent contained, according to Capt. Scot Seguirant, spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department.

The fire was first reported at 3:50 a.m. behind Nanakuli Sack-N-Save, Seguirant said. Honolulu fire crews and the federal Fire Department worked through the day and into the evening to contain the blaze on various fronts.

Nanakuli resident Ross Watson II woke up to the smell of smoke and quickly evacuated his family from their home.

“I was sleeping and then I smelled something burning, so I woke up and came downstairs and I walked out to my front balcony, and then we looked over the side and the whole mountain was glowing orange,” Watson said.

“So we just ran upstairs and woke up all the kids and told them we gotta go outside because the mountain’s on fire,” he said. “Then we see the HPD guys drive up, and they started telling everybody to evacuate because the mountain’s on fire and they can’t contain it fast enough.”

The fire raged near Mokiawe, Helelua and Nanikeola streets in Nanakuli. It came as close as 100 feet to some homes, according to Seguirant.

From Nanakuli Valley the blaze followed the natural topography of the lower mauka area, working its way around the mountain into Waianae Valley, he said.

Gusty winds, limited accessibility and rough terrain hampered efforts to put out the flames, according to fire officials.

No injuries or damage to homes or buildings were reported by late Sunday.

The Fire Department deployed 22 HFD units staffed with 53 personnel to tackle the blaze. Along with firefighters on the ground, HFD’s Air 1 and Air 2 helicopters conducted water drops from above.

Seguirant said smoke would continue to blow through and that there could be hot spots in the burned-out area. Firefighters planned to continue monitoring the situation throughout the night.

The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at Nanakuli High School & Intermediate School early Sunday but closed it by midday.

On Kauai, multiple brush fires caused the closure of a portion of Kokee Road on Sunday, between the Kekaha Road junction and the Waimea Canyon Drive junction, according to a county spokesman.

Kauai firefighters, Air 1 and private water tenders worked with crews from the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife.