NATIONAL PARK SERVICE / PETER GAVETTE Wildfires sparked by lava flows burned "out of control" yesterday, according to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park officials. Additional crews will be flown in from the mainland to help fight the fire.

Risky conditions frustrate
efforts to stop Big Isle fires

Winds and smoke prevent assessing
the wildfires' size

By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.com

HILO >> Wildfires sparked by lava flows are burning "out of control" and may have scorched 1,000 acres in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, officials said.

Whipped by sustained 50 mph winds yesterday, the fires jumped into vegetation along a 2-mile-long line stretching downhill from the 2,000-foot to the 200-foot elevation, said park fire management officer Jack Minassian.

Officials hoped to get a better picture of the damage today, but with the possibility of similar winds blowing flames straight at them and helicopters possibly unable to fly, even the size of the problem could remain unknown.

As yesterday ended, Minassian could only say that the fires along the boundary of lava flow fields were "significant" and out of control.

Park firefighters knew the strength of the winds because tour helicopters reported those wind speeds over the ridge lines of a series of slopes and cliffs that extend like steps down to the park shoreline.

The park could not send its own contracted helicopters into the area because they cannot fly in winds greater than 35 mph, Minassian said. Even if they could get to the fire areas, the winds would make bucket drops of water ineffective, he said.

The fire also generated thick smoke that blew toward Chain of Craters Road, the only road into the area, blocking views from the ground.

Park officials closed the road to tourists at noon and closed hiking trails in the general area.

The weather forecast for today called for all of the same conditions, Minassian said.

A helicopter reconnaissance will be attempted, he said.

"We're going to try for an early morning, 7 a.m. recon when the winds are somewhat lower," he said.

Minassian held out some hope that the situation might not be as bad as it seemed.

The fires, which had multiple outbreaks, probably burned a "mosaic" in which some areas were charred and others were left untouched, he said. Still, that would mean destruction of several hundred acres, if not as many as 1,000.

Fire lines had been cut for weeks close to the lava flow area, and a new, 3-mile-long second line of defense was cut more recently, Minassian said. That line was just a quarter-mile short of completion and may have been enough to halt the spread, he said.

But with no way to fight the fires during the night, the destruction could be worse.

In upper areas the fire is moving through forests of ohia and more fire-resistant lama trees. In the lowlands, non-native grasses provided fuel.

To fight the blaze, Minassian now has a local crew of 20 firefighters. Tomorrow, two additional crews totaling 40 people will arrive from the mainland. Also flying in will be a 10-person Type Two Overhead Team which will take over management of the fire in park offices and in the field, he said.

"Type Two" indicates that this fire is just one step down from the most serious type of fire that parks personnel fight nationwide, said ranger Mardie Lane.

The management team may decide to bring in still more mainland teams, Minassian said. The number of helicopters may be increased to five from two, he said.

The effort is unprecedented at Hawaii Volcanoes. "We've never done this in the 14 years that I've been here," Minassian said.