KAILUA-KONA — Residents who voluntarily evacuated from homes threatened by a brush fire Wednesday near the Komohana Kai subdivision in Kona are being allowed to return to their homes. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — Residents who voluntarily evacuated from homes threatened by
KAILUA-KONA — Residents who voluntarily evacuated from homes threatened by a brush fire Wednesday near the Komohana Kai subdivision in Kona are being allowed to return to their homes.
KAILUA-KONA — Residents who voluntarily evacuated from homes threatened by a brush fire Wednesday near the Komohana Kai subdivision in Kona are being allowed to return to their homes.
Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief Gantry Andrade said the 25-acre brush fire makai of Lako and Kololia streets was about 50 percent contained but not under control. The fire was slowly spreading, however, most of the active burning was within the burn area.
No homes were threatened as of about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, however, the fire did come “right up to the property lines and pretty close to some homes,” in the area. Several residents voluntarily evacuated their homes earlier in the afternoon.
A shelter was established at Kekuaokalani Gymnasium in Kailua-Kona, however, no one showed up, Andrade said. It’s likely that the people who evacuated homes stayed with family and friends for several hours, he added. He did not know the number of people who evacuated.
The fire started about noon in the vicinity of Banyan Apartments on Alii Drive and quickly raced mauka through dry brush toward the subdivision, which is located on the bottom portion of Lako Street.
Bulldozers are being used to cut firebreaks. Two Hawaii County helicopters are performing water drops, in addition to firefighting efforts on the ground.
Lako Street is closed at Kololia Street, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
