Kalihi Valley gets A brush fire threatened a school and nearby homes in Kalihi Valley yesterday afternoon.
scare from brush fire
Firefighters believe they stopped
it but residents still worryBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com
And it came on the heels of another brush fire on the same ridge that firefighters have been battling off and on since Saturday.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
This brush fire in Kalihi Valley got a bit too close to these homes yesterday on Kula Kolea Place and Kalihi Elementary School.
The most recent fire came within 50 to 100 yards of homes on Kula Kolea Place, said Fire Battalion Commander Paul Gerard, who served as the incident commander.
"Hopefully, we whacked it today," Gerard said.
Yesterday's new fire was put out at about 4 p.m., but several hot spots from Saturday's fire remained.
Some students at Kalihi Elementary School, 2471 Kula Kolea Drive, and residents worry the fire may come down the mountainside.
"I am afraid of the fire catching on to our school," said fourth-grader Nathan Molina, 9.
Nancy Young, who teaches emotionally disturbed students, said her kids have been "very tense and nervous. ... They're just getting real fidgety."
The Honolulu Fire Department has been fighting the fire that started Saturday on the mountain above the school and over the ridge toward Fort Shafter. That fire has burned 58 acres of brush in four days.
Three fire units and Air 1, the HFD helicopter, returned at 9 a.m. yesterday to continue the battle, Gerard said.
"All of a sudden, at about 2 p.m., this new fire cropped up," fire Capt. Richard Soo said. "It's the first day it got this close to homes."
Four additional companies were called to fight the new fire.
"We still don't know if it's definitely out," said Rod Rabago who lives on Kula Kolea Drive, just a few hundred feet below the scorched area. "It's scary when it's right above your house."
Alice Tokumoto has lived in the house closest to the fire for 48 years and said she's never seen a fire above her house before, although there have been frequent fires lower in the valley above Kalihi Valley Homes.
She and other residents were told Saturday to prepare to evacuate. They packed bags and watered down their roof.
Some students complained they couldn't concentrate in class because of the constant buzz of the fire helicopter making water drops all day Monday and yesterday afternoon.
