Brush fire burns 1,500 acres, approaches Nanakuli homes
COURTESY JULIE PANUI
At 7 p.m. Thursday, the brush fire was about two to three acres in size and located high up on the eastern ridge of Nanakuli Valley, said fire Capt. David Jenkins.
COURTESY ROSS LANGSTON
Thirty-three firefighters were recalled at about 8:30 a.m. Friday to the the eastern ridgeline in Nanakuli Valley.
Scores of Honolulu firefighters were staging in Nanakuli Valley tonight to monitor an uncontrolled wild fire that was burning close to homes and could force residents to evacuate overnight.
Honolulu Fire Department Capt. James Todd said the fire was still about a half-mile from homes around Haleakala Avenue about 7 p.m., but windy conditions could push the fire dangerously close to homes overnight. He said about 80 firefighters were staging around the neighborhood to safeguard property.
About 50 firefighters battled the blaze throughout the day today, but it was still completely uncontained and had grown to about 1,500 acres, Todd said. Steep terrain and high winds that fanning the flames along hampered firefighting efforts.
Firefighters cut fire breaks with hand tools near the ridgeline and others extinguished the flames toward the base of the mountain. Three helicopters — two from the state Department of Forestry and Wildlife and one from HFD — made water drops during the day.
The fire erupted about 6 p.m. Thursday near Pikaiolena Street and Waiea Place on the Ko Olina side of the valley.
Responding firefighters found a two-acre fire slowly moving down-slope towards homes in Nanakuli Valley and staged around Pikaiolena Street to protect the homes. About 8:30 that night, police closed the roads and notified residents of a voluntary evacuation. Residents were allowed back into their homes about 10:30 p.m.
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Firefighters contained the fire Friday morning when it was about 400 acres in size. But later that morning, the fire flared up again and, by Friday night, had grown to about 1,000 acres in size and was moving away from structures.
Todd said this evening that the fire was now approaching the homes on the opposite side of the valley as it did the night it started.
6 responses to “Brush fire burns 1,500 acres, approaches Nanakuli homes”
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Mahalo HFD and Federal FF. We appreciate your hard work.
It always amazes me how a lot of these fires start way deep high up in the valleys or high on the mountain sides where no one is hardly ever present? Are these fires started by Katniss Everdeen pyro’s shooting the flaming bow and arrow into the mountain sides, flare gun, maybe aerial fireworks?
The boys are gearing up for summer vacation, unfortunately. Just starting a bit early this year.
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2016 5:20 AM
Subject: CEASE AND DESIST VERMIN CONTROL PLAN UNTIL PEUO POPULATION IDENTIFIED ON OAHU
Aloha Fans of Wildlife- please do forward this if worthy to any and all of party to this subject- mahalo…..for those that respond- please do reply to all listed in email – that would be appreciated.
And the negligence is, that the powers that be, under the direction of our governor, have resorted to conning the public that no wildlife need be protected or preserved within URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARIES, for they, the pueo owls, are proliferating in the “hills”outside, away from all lands slated for development within the Urban Growth Boundary. This is pure fallacy- and patently false.
It is in the “hills” where fires perpetually extinguish the pueos’ attempts for a “comeback.” That is why the owl has triggered a relocation of sorts to house its efforts for survival within the open fields of Hoopili and UHWO where a fire would not only be extinguished in seconds, but under most circumstances, never happen. In contrast, where the owls may or not be, where the fires habitually occur- burn for days on end, maybe even months like the great Makakilo Fire of 2014. What happened to the pueos up there? DLNR says the pueo doesn’t exist on the Ewa Plain- so if the “hills” get scorched, and all open space developed….just exactly where is the pueo supposed to go? SEE TODAY’S ARTICLE ON NANAKULI FIRE- pasted below.
With the DLNR admitting that the biggest threat to the pueos’ chances for survival on Oahu is loss of prime habitat, government has taken the opposite recourse for addressing this fact- and has sanctioned approval to eradicate the owls where they now reside and in addition, has actively taken the position to decimate the most ideal habitat available for the owls- such as on state land- at UHWO’s 300 acres and also on private land, such as on Hoopili’s 1,500 acres respectively.
The DLNR signed off in 2007 on a EIS for Hoopili stating no pueo’s are on the 1,500 acres – in fact, the EIS has characterized the land as worthless wasteland to be liquidated- for it serves no valuable purpose- none for any flora or fauna- and such determination/findings approved by the state LUC, and subsequently codified by the Honolulu City Council and Mayor, Bill 3 (2015).
Dittos for UHWO- in its EIS- the same blinders were used to determine that such land too, to be worthless land to the pueo- of no value for crops, void of flora or fauna of interest.
Now, besides the transformation of raw, prime ag land conducive to pueo proliferation being wiped clean off the face of the earth on the Ewa Plain in its entirety, and the fires that nail them dead up in the “hills,” the pueo has been deemed NON-EXISTENT WITHIN ALL areas of state Conservation Land where poisons that kill raptors, are to be *eventually deployed (pending approval).
The intent is to kill as many rats and mongoose as possible in Conservation Areas- and the approach has the pueo as a casualty- but according to DLNR, the pueo does not inhabit any Conservation Lands within the State of Hawaii on Oahu —-for in the NEPA Project Scope, to address invasive specie control in Conservation Areas, the administrators involved in the exercise have deduced no raptors are to be quantified in the eradication effort- as if they do not exist on Conservation Land- and if the pueo is present, it is to be subjected to receive the poison onslaught via the food chain, and its water source also to be contaminated- by design.
Hence, in conclusion, without a pueo islandwide survey to substantiate where the pueo is, will be, and will go- that such release of poisons by design would be an act of malice toward the owls and thus, the identification of where the pueo resides must be determined first, before the vermin control effort commences in the field.
Below is a short list – a few minuted each- of youtube videos for your perusal —- the videos clearly substantiates that the owls are within the open space ranges aforementioned. I have numerous other owl videos not listed here of which depicts the Barn Owl frequenting city parks, city streets, and hanging out near garbage cans- why? The answer is that these owls on the Ewa Plain are hard at work providing a safe, all natural remedy to exterminate vermin- and it costs taxpayers nothing. The owls do not eat human garbage food- but rather track down the mice and rats that do. These hunters of mice, mongoose, and rats, are the owls of Ewa- and to destroy them, the owls, with poison and cement by design, is a grave disservice and a travesty to humankind….all the while, the assumed “home in the hills” for the owls is a fire hazard…..the owls don’t even live there and the hills are void of its food…..this is why the pueo and barn owls are having a last go at survival on Oahu at UHWO- where owl food is bursting out at the seams….and thus, it is hoped those who claim to be educated, can see the bigger picture….and act accordingly.
STOPPING THE LIQUIDATION OF 300 PRIME ACRES OF PUEO HABITAT AT UHWO SHOULD BE THE CALLING FOR ALL WHO ARE CARING PEOPLE….to sit still and watch the killing fields unfold, shall forever be on this Governor’s head, and his dutiful followers subjected to the shame eventually to be cast down by the future generations that will most likely say- “WTF happened here- who the f&^k approved this asinine stint?”
The latest youtubes on subject are-
THE OWL AND VENGEANCE @ UHWO
THE OWL AND VENGEANCE @ UHWO
ALL FILM FOOTAGE OF OWLS SEEN IN THIS VIDEO WAS RECORDED ON MARCH 18, 2016 @ UHWO The University of Hawaii West …
OWLS TO DIE AT UHWO: “OUR SOUL DOES NOT KEEP TIME IT MERELY RECORDS GROWTH”
OWLS TO DIE AT UHWO: “OUR SOUL DOES NOT KEEP TIME IT MERELY RECORDS GROWTH”
ALL FOOTAGE RECORDED ON MARCH 16, 2016 @ SUNSET AT THE PLACE TO HOST THE KILLING FIELDS OF UHWO The endangered p…
Mike Lee Spots Pueo Owl in Flight @ UHWO
Mike Lee Spots Pueo Owl in Flight @ UHWO
All video footage recorded March 15, 2016- except the Pueo Owl featured at the end of this video which the Pueo …
THE KILLING FIELDS @ UHWO
THE KILLING FIELDS @ UHWO
ALL VIDEO FOOTAGE SHOT MARCH 14, 2016 ; UNIVERSITY OF WEST OAHU These are the grounds where the pueo and barn ow…
BARN OWL @ UHWO IS A GREAT GIG IN THE SKY
BARN OWL @ UHWO IS A GREAT GIG IN THE SKY
ALL VIDEO SHOT ON MARCH 13, 2016- UHWO is to eradicate/ exterminate all barn owls and in addition, pueo habitat …
SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN @ UHWO Said the Kaloi Gulch Barn Owl
SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN @ UHWO Said the Kaloi Gulch Barn…
ALL VIDEO MATERIAL COVERING THE BARN OWL OF KALOI GULCH THAT YOU SEE HERE WAS RECORDED ON MARCH 12, 2016
KALOI GULCH BARN OWLS @ UHWO PERFORM FREE VERMIN CONTROL
KALOI GULCH BARN OWLS @ UHWO PERFORM FREE VERMIN CONTROL
All video footage recorded between 2am and 8am March 10, 2016 – Kaloi Gulch @ Vicinity of Rail Terminus East Kap…
Barn Owl @ HOOPILI on February 27, 2016
Barn Owl @ HOOPILI on February 27, 2016
Barn Owl; Honouliuli Stream, Oahu
Honouliuli Stream DEC 31 2015 BARN OWL
Honouliuli Stream DEC 31 2015 BARN OWL
Owls Confront Transit Oriented Development Ewa Central on Sept 28,29 2015
Owls Confront Transit Oriented Development Ewa Central on Sept 28,29 2015
All footage recorded between 9pm Sept. 28 and 1am Sept. 29, 2015. Rail is supposed to protect and preserve open …
HONOLULU RAIL MEETS PUEO; CITY DENIES OWL EXISTS
HONOLULU RAIL MEETS PUEO; CITY DENIES OWL EXISTS
A sad day indeed for the Pueo Owl – after decades of onslaught, it finally won some degree of legal standing on …
What does this have to do with the article?? Not related!!
Fire fire fire! Your pants is on fire!!