A fast-moving brush fire in Kaumakani and Hanapēpē that prompted evacuation orders for nearby residents has been 100% contained, the Kauaʻi Fire Department said late Monday night.
The evacuation notice for Kaumakani residents was also lifted. Fire crews stayed on site to maintain a fire watch, and sensors were installed in the area to detect any flare-ups, the county said.
Officials said the fire was reported west of Moi Road around noon Monday. The fire burned an estimated 1,000 acres, or 1.56 square miles, between Hanapēpē and Kaumakani.
The blaze threatened about 200 homes, but officials said only one shed at Kaumakani Camp was destroyed.
Fire crews dropped water from helicopters and used heavy machinery to create breaks to prevent the fire from spreading. They also tried to stop the fire on the ground, Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami said.
Crews planned to re-assess the area by air and ground Tuesday.
At 2:50 p.m. Monday, residents in Kaumakani were advised to evacuate immediately. The county said the Kaua‘i Police Department conducted door-to-door evacuations.
Shelters were open at Waimea High School and the Hanapēpē Neighborhood Center. The Kaua‘i Bus was on standby to evacuate residents near Aloha Sweet Delites.
One-lane traffic on Kaumuali‘i Highway, from Lele Road in Hanapēpē to Kaumakani, reopened Tuesday. For updates on road closures, the public can call 808-241-1725.
The county said all keiki were picked up from Summer Fun locations Monday.
The Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative had de-energized transmission lines in Kekaha, Mana, Hanapēpē, Kaumakani, Pākalā and Kōkeʻe due to the fire. KIUC said personnel completed repairs and inspections and restored power on the west side around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Check the KIUC outage center for the latest.
KIUC said Waimea remained powered to support the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital and the Waimea High School shelter.
The Kauaʻi County Department of Water lifted a water conservation notice for customers from Hanapēpē to Kekaha at 6 a.m.
Chad Machado, who owns JP’s Pizza with his son in Kaumakani, was making dough while the shop was closed Monday when he noticed the fire up in the mountains.
“Within half an hour, it was two football fields away,” he said. He and his son tried to stick around, shooting water around the shop. But the smoke got too bad, so they went home to Kekaha.
“People were running out with suitcases, it was utter chaos,” he said. “So much smoke we couldn’t breathe.”
He said the community is a former sugar plantation community and landowners were using tractors to keep the fire away, similar to what they did during the plantation era.
This wildfire comes nearly a year after flames tore through the historic Maui town of Lahaina, killing more than 100 people, incinerating some 3,000 buildings and displacing 12,000 residents. The Aug. 8 wildfire was the deadliest to hit the United States in more than a century.
