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Huge fire
burns Mauna Kea’s
northwest face

The blaze, now contained,
forced the evacuation of 30 people
and destroyed three
farm structures

By Rod Thompson
Star-Bulletin

WAIMEA, Hawaii -- Firefighters today were mopping up a 700-acre fire stretching for miles across the northwest face of Mauna Kea that destroyed three farm structures and forced the evacuation of 30 people yesterday.

The fire was declared contained at 8 last night.

The fire was enough under control that a decision was made not to use a military helicopter that was prepared to join firefighting effort, said Civil Defense spokesman Bruce Butts.

Initial reports that three homes were destroyed turned out to refer to large storage sheds, said Jim DuPont, an administrator for the Department of Hawaiian Homes land. All of the damage was on 10- and 15-acre ranch lots of Hawaiian Homes beneficiaries and on adjoining Parker Ranch pasture land. The area is Puukapu Ranch Lots at the 3,000-foot elevation, 2 to 3 miles south of Waimea.

There were no reports of injuries to people or livestock.

Patrick Asing, who saw the fire and drove up to help residents, said the grass in the area was severely dried by drought. "Everything is crispy," he said. "(A fire) would take right off."

Additional structures on posts and piers appeared to burn because the fast-moving fire swept underneath them, but they were later determined to be mostly undamaged.

The fire was started by a vehicle about 11:24 a.m., Narimatsu said, although exactly how it began wasn't clear.

A number of people were trapped in the area when smoke and flames made the normal exit road unusable, Narimatsu said. A helicopter observer identified a safe back road and police escorted vehicles out, he said.

Joseph Nakoa said he has six goats and about 10 sheep on his 15-acre lot, but the fire didn't come near there.

His son Kepa helped firefighters save the house of another rancher, Francis Hui. Asing said the fire went into Hui's yard, completely surrounding the house, but Hui had a lawn of green grass which kept the fire from coming too close.

Fire went right up to another house, but firefighters kept it under control, he said.

Hui's brother, Joseph, said fire raced through tall grass along fence lines. "It was scary," he said.

Since his own house was out of the danger area, several people including complete strangers came by and asked if they could leave a dog or a horse at his place. He agreed, figuring they would come and pick up their animals today.

By evening, strong winds which had been blowing for several days carried the fire several miles westward to the boundary of the West Hawaii Concrete property, Narimatsu said.

People were allowed to return to their homes in the evening. A Red Cross evacuation center in Waimea went unused and was closed.