Wildfire burns 1,638 acres above Mililani Mauka, 90% contained
COURTESY U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
A Hawaii Army National Guard UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter conducts aerial fire suppression water drop operations above the Mililani Mauka wildfire on Nov. 4.
UPDATE: TUESDAY 4:30 p.m.
Honolulu Fire Department officials say that they are transferring command of the Mililani Mauka firefighting efforts to the U.S. Fire and Wildlife Service, now that the remote wildfire is 90% contained with only “isolated smoldering pockets.”
HFD also said late Tuesday afternoon that it was suspending firefighting operations “due to impending darkness.”
“The majority of the involved area is within the Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fire and Wildlife Service. Due to diminished fire activity and no current threat to the Mililani Mauka community, command of the incident will transition from unified command with Honolulu Fire Department to the USFWS,” according to an HFD news release. “The HFD is committed to serving and protecting the community and will, thus, remain available to support the USFWS if the fire situation changes.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
The Mililani Mauka fire, now in its ninth day, remains 90% contained as it burns in a remote, mountainous area, far from any community, Honolulu Fire Department officials said today.
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The fire has burned about 1,638 acres, HFD said, noting that the substantial increase in charred acreage today is due to more accurate mapping, and not from any expansion of the fire.
“Acreage will continue to be refined and fluctuations in these figures do not indicate that the fire is growing or expanding in size, as there has been minimal fire activity during recent operational periods,” HFD officials said in an afternoon news release.
The fire continues to burn on Kamehameha Schools-owned and other private lands, and in the Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge. The “refuge protects some of the last remaining intact native forest on the island and supports at least 22 federally listed species, including native plants,” HFD said.
Rainy weather in the mountains above Mililani Mauka have helped firefighting efforts. The fire area received nearly an inch of rain since Sunday evening and there is an 80% chance of rain today, according to HFD.
Firefighting efforts include 10 “smokejumpers,” an interagency “hotshot crew”, a Hawaii Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter, a Hawaii Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook aircraft, and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services-contracted helicopter.
No lives or property have been threatened by the fire.
