Fire at Big Island park
claims rain forest landCrews are working to stop the
blaze from reaching ebony trees
Since Wednesday, fires started by lava flows have consumed another 980 acres of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park despite the efforts of 40 firefighters on the ground, park officials said yesterday.
Wednesday the fires swept through 4,000 acres of the park, destroying some of the park's prized rain forest east of Chain of Craters Road.
"The fire has nudged further into the east rift rain forest," said Ranger Jim Gale. "It's still way too dangerous to put firefighters in there, so right now we have helicopters dropping water there."
Four helicopters are dumping 100-gallon buckets of water onto the area as lines of firefighters on the ground fight hot spots and try to contain the spread of the fire.
Gale said crews are working to prevent the fire from jumping across Chain of Craters Road and spreading to a rare forest of Hawaiian ebony trees.
The fire has been fueled by dry conditions. Gale said the forest floor has a layer of dead leaves and ferns about two-feet thick called duff. He said the fire smolders and creeps under the duff and suddenly flares up into wild flames.
"The fire can smolder underneath and you don't see any smoke, and then suddenly the slightest breeze can make it flare up into flames," said Gale.
A major portion of the area destroyed was burned last year by a fire that burned about two inches of duff off the forest floor.
Gale said clouds and high humidity are helping conditions to fight the fire.