Some residents in the Komohana Kai subdivision of Kailua-Kona were evacuated from their homes Wednesday afternoon due to heavy smoke from a runaway brush fire, Hawaii County Civil Defense reported.
The fire burned about 25 acres near the subdivision, said Komohana Kai resident and KBGX radio reporter Sherry Bracken, who interviewed Hawaii County Fire Department Battalion Chief Darwin Okinaka at the scene.
Bracken said the smoke was “seriously unbearable.”
About 30 firefighters from several stations, two helicopters and two bulldozers fought the fire, Bracken said. Police closed the intersection at Lako and Kololia streets at about 2 p.m. and reopened the streets at 5:24 p.m. The fire was contained at 6:15 p.m.
The fire investigator is looking for the cause of the blaze, which officials said appeared to have started in an open, brush-filled area north of the Lutheran church and below the Komohana Kai and Kamani Trees subdivisions, according to Bracken.
No one was injured and no structures burned.
Bracken said the fire department filled frog ponds, or portable pools of water for its helicopters to dip water buckets into.
Firefighters remained on scene through the night to put out flare-ups and planned to reassess the fire at first light.
Candis Stansell, 36, who lives on Lako Street, said, “It was definitely a little too close for comfort.”
She said the fire was 150 yards from the church, and she lives two houses away. Her friends came by to check on her and helped her pack a few things in case she needed to be evacuated from her home. She left at 5:30 p.m.
Realtor Lance Owens, who lives in the nearby Kamani Trees subdivision, said “there’s been a lot of suspicious fires around Kona” so signs are posted along the highway asking people to report any suspicious activity.
The Family Court in Kailua-Kona was closed Wednesday afternoon because of the brush fire’s smoke, and is expected to reopen today.
Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald issued an order extending all deadlines on affected cases. All documents due during the closure will be considered timely if filed by the close of business today.
Kona Fire of Lako Street area from Lance Owens (RS) on Vimeo.
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Fire, helicopter water drops from Lance Owens (RS) on Vimeo.
