Bulldozer operators surrounded the Keamuku wildfires in mauka South Kohala with fire breaks Tuesday.
Meanwhile firefighters from Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), Hawaii County, and volunteers, along with military helicopter crews, continued efforts to douse the Keamuku Maneuver Area (KMA) Complex fires, which were caused by lightning strikes Sunday. It is estimated that between 1,500 and 1,800 acres have been burned by both fires.
On Monday, the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade of the 25th Infantry from Oahu used three helicopters to make 80 water bucket drops totaling 67,000 gallons of water. The choppers will continue to drop water Tuesday. Ground crews will patrol the breaks to put down hot spots that could ignite other blazes.
There are no threats to communities, roads or structures at this time. While the larger of the two fires is a mile from Waikii Ranch, the community is protected by a thousand-meter buffer of pasture that the U.S. Army established between KMA and Waikii Ranch.