Honolulu firefighters battled a wind-whipped brush fire that forced the evacuation of about 40 houses and cabins in upper Makakilo and some structures at Camp Timberline on Friday, said fire spokesman David Jenkins.

About sunset Friday, some 20 cabins on Palehua Road were evacuated because of the approaching fire. Firefighters stationed one fire company to protect each cabin, Jenkins said.

The residents took refuge at Camp Timberline, which was reopened after being evacuated earlier in the afternoon, he said.

The 20 evacuated homes were on and near Umena Street, Jenkins said.

The fire, fanned by 20-30 mph winds, was moving into the mountains with large trees, gullies and steep terrain, which made it difficult for firefighters to get to, Jenkins said.

An HFD helicopter dropped water along the ridge for several hours before it suspended operations due to dark and windy conditions.

The fire was first reported about 3:30 p.m. At least 30 fire companies and 100 firefighters along with seven federal fire companies responded to the scene, resulting in the fire department being at Level 2 manning. That means a third of department personnel are responding to emergencies.

Ramon Sumibcay, who owns two homes on Umena Street, said he watched as the fire spread from the brush behind his neighbors’ homes up the mountain and westward across the ridgeline over a span of three hours.

"It was terrifying," Sumibcay said.

Sumibcay said one of his neighbor’s properties sustained damage to a fence and a door from approaching flames. Firefighters halted the spread of the fire downslope and Sumibcay and others kept watch with garden hoses as the night wore on, dousing a smoldering branch and alerting firefighters to a tree that had reignited.

Thick black smoke from the western end of the fire was visible from the H-1 freeway by late afternoon, but it wasn’t until the sun went down that the extent of the fire’s reach was fully evident. Dozens of residents aimed smartphone cameras at the hillside as patches of orange flame glowed from within a thick veil of smoke.

Viola Genadio of Kikaha Street was at work in Kapolei when she learned of the fire via a text from a neighbor.

Genadio said brush fires are common in the area — just days earlier, she reported a small fire that burned brush behind an adjoining street — but nothing like what she saw on Friday.

"I saw the smoke all across the ridge, and it was shocking," Genadio said. "It’s the worst I have seen in 20 years here."

The city and the American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter for affected residents at the Makakilo Community Park, 92-1140 Makakilo Drive.