760-acre Maui brush fire destroys church in Olowalu Village
COURTESY MAUI COUNTY
The photo from Maui County officials shows an Olowalu brush fire Saturday night. Firefighters had the blaze 90% contained by this morning.
A 760-acre Olowalu brush fire Saturday night destroyed a church and two vehicles and damaged a home, Maui fire officials said today.
A building used as a community hall and church in Olowalu Village was a total loss, as were two nearby storage units and the vehicles, officials said.
A home on Luawai Street sustained about $30,000 worth of fire damage to an exterior wall, they said.
The fire shut down Honoapiilani Highway for several hours Saturday night but was 95% contained by this afternoon, the Maui Police Department reported.
High winds were reported Saturday that contributed to power transmission line outages.
Firefighter ground crews continued work to secure the perimeter of the Olowalu fire while helicopter air support flew over inaccessible areas to make water drops. There were no reported injuries, and the fire’s cause is undetermined, Maui County said.
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“Maui firefighters and police are doing a fabulous job under very difficult conditions with high winds and steep, difficult-to-reach terrain,” Maui Mayor Mike Victorino said in a Facebook post.
The Lahaina Aquatic Center closed today because of fire ash and debris from high winds, the county Department of Parks and Recreation reported.
Maui firefighters also responded to a smaller brush fire near Kula Ag Park this morning.
The fire was reported at 9:48 a.m. today. The fire burned about 7 acres in size and was also 95% contained by this afternoon, according to the Maui Fire Department.
