Brush fire scorches 122 acres in South Kohala

Mamalahoa Highway was closed for over five hours Saturday as firefighters worked to contain a brush fire between mile marker 7.5 and Old Saddle Road in South Kohala.

Approximately 122 acres burned and with the help of volunteers and personnel from Pohakuloa Training Area, the fire was contained, according to the Hawaii Fire Department. A total of seven companies and Hawaii County’s two helicopters were dispatched to fight the blaze along the highway, also known as Highway 190.

Personnel were to stay at the scene to perform mop-up operations throughout the evening.