ASSOCIATED PRESS Big Isle firefighters sprayed water, left, as residents cut back brush along a power line maintenance road on Tuesday as fire threatened Waikoloa village.

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Winds kick up but
Big Isle fire is contained

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii » A 25,000-acre grassland fire bordering Waikoloa village in West Hawaii was declared contained yesterday.

A separate 2,500-acre fire along Akoni Pule Highway to the north of Waikoloa was considered 90 percent contained, Hawaii County Civil Defense official Neil Gyotoku said.

Increased wind speeds at Akoni Pule, up to 40 miles per hour, were giving firefighters concern as night fell, but the winds were carrying embers out to sea, meaning no danger as long as the wind direction did not change.

At Waikoloa the higher winds were kicking up large amounts of dust, initially giving a false impression of renewed burning, Gyotoku said.

In both areas, firefighters concentrated on hot spots along the perimeter using helicopter water drops as well as bulldozing improved fire breaks.

In some places, fire crept underground along roots, then popped to the surface in "imus," or ovenlike burning, Gyotoku said. "They're trying to put out imus as soon as they see them," he said.