Firefighters remain busy Thursday afternoon battling a 5,200-acre brush fire burning since Monday in Pahala. Firefighters remain busy Thursday afternoon battling a 5,200-acre brush fire burning since Monday in Pahala. ADVERTISING The makai fire, one of two brush fires burning
Firefighters remain busy Thursday afternoon battling a 5,200-acre brush fire burning since Monday in Pahala.
The makai fire, one of two brush fires burning in the Pahala area, is estimated at 5,200 acres as of 3 p.m., said Hawaii Fire Department East Hawaii Battalion Chief Warren Sumida who added current conditions were overcast with no wind. A perimeter has been established, however, Sumida said the fire has yet to be contained.
Highway 11, the lone means of traversing South Hawaii, remains open to both lanes of travel, he said. Motorists are asked to drive carefully and yield to crews and vehicles on the highway.
A second 400-acre brush fire burning above Pahala off Cane Haul Road continues to burn but is listed at 95 percent contained, according to the department.
Nineteen personnel, including three Hawaii Volcanoes National Park firefighters, are battling the fires, Sumida said. A Hawaii Fire Department helicopter is providing water drops from reservoirs in the area to assist the crews.
