Maui tourist official
suggests plan to skirt
fire-block at road

By Gary T. Kubota
Star-Bulletin

WAILUKU -- Maui Visitors Bureau's executive director Marsha Wienert says the island should develop a plan to shuttle people when the main road is closed between west and central Maui.

Wienert's comments follow a brush fire that shut down traffic along Honoapiilani Highway for more than 12 hours, until 2 a.m. yesterday, and continued to limit traffic to one lane on numerous occasions.

A number of tour boats and at least one airline company offered transportation between the two locations during the 12-hour traffic stall.

Wienert said the bureau received no complaints from tourists about the traffic problem, and that traffic flowed better on the back road than during a previous brush fire earlier this year.

Wesley Wong, the state forestry manager on Maui, this morning said the fire was about 75 percent contained, but not under control, and still has a possibility of spreading.

Maui Electric said that, according to preliminary estimates, the fire burned four poles and damage was less than $20,000.

A firefighter was treated and released yesterday from Maui Memorial Hospital after receiving second-degree burns on his legs and a hand after stepping into an underground part of the fire, Ishikawa said.

The fire has burned an estimated 3,340 acres on the southern slopes of the West Maui mountains. State foresters evacuated four nene birds by helicopter. Police said some residents evacuated from their homes near Maalaea Tuesday have returned to their houses.

Matthew Hart, the Westin Maui general manager, said that, financially, the hotel broke even because a few more guests stayed a night longer, and others didn't arrive as scheduled at the hotel. "It's just the luck of the draw."

Hart said the fire was an inconvenience and that the hotel put up some 35 maids in the presidential suite overnight.