Firefighters fully contained and extinguished a small wildfire on Maui that broke out Tuesday during a warning that gusty wind and low humidity posed a risk that fires could spread rapidly in the western parts of each Hawaiian Island.
Firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire in the South Maui community of Kihei, said Darryl Oliveira, interim administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency. It took less than an hour to extinguish the fire, which burned about an acre of brush, the Maui Fire Department said.
“We’re going to act aggressively with any fire during a red-flag warning,” Oliveira said.
A deadly blaze tore through the coastal Maui town of Lahaina during a similar warning in August.
The red-flag warning for leeward sides of the islands — the sides normally sheltered from wind — was canceled in a National Weather Service update sent at 3:04 p.m.
The Kihei fire prompted officials to ask residents in nearby apartments and an inn to seek refuge from the smoke at a community center. The fire also briefly closed a road, officials said.
Meantime, the Maui Fire Department announced that as of 1:19 p.m. Tuesday the brush fire that began Monday along Maui Veterans Highway was 100% contained.
The first alarm for the “fast-moving brush fire” was at 1:55 p.m. Monday. The wind at the time was blowing 20 to 25 mph.
The burn area is south of the Maui Humane Society and was estimated at 35 acres, according to a news release sent at 5:15 p.m. Monday.
Crews were on-scene throughout the night Monday, mopping up and securing the perimeter.
Ten units, including Air 1, worked to battle the fire yesterday. Multiple tankers and heavy equipment from Mahi Pono and tankers from the state Department of Transportation also assisted.
