Cleared brush saved
homes in Waikoloa

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii » When a range fire ran through 25,000 acres of grassland last week, it jumped firebreak after firebreak until it reached the last one bordering Waikoloa village.

Cleared by hand weeks in advance by Waikoloa residents in a program called Firewise, the last firebreak held.

"Firewise works," said Pete Hoffmann, chairman of the Waikoloa Firewise Committee and a member of the Hawaii County Council.

A free Firewise brush fire safety workshop will be held at 9 a.m. Aug. 20 at Waikoloa Elementary School.

Denise Laitinen, who will present the workshop, emphasized that it was planned long before last week's fire. In other words, like the nationwide Firewise program, the intent is not to react, but to take preventive measures.

The Waikoloa Firewise group had anticipated a fire coming downhill, pushed by strong winds, jumping hastily prepared firebreaks, Hoffmann said.

"It was our worst fear."

So they prepared for it, clearing a 30-foot firebreak on July 9, arranging to haul away six truckloads of burnable materials. Another five loads were waiting to be hauled when the fire struck.

The 30-foot clearing, three times the width of a bulldozer blade, gave firefighters time to respond, said fire Capt. Michael Milare. Without it the fire could have entered the village, he said.

In fact, "nobody was hurt; no homes were lost," Hoffmann said.

But the need for a Firewise style of prevention continues. A 40-foot-deep gully in Waikoloa is full of dry vegetation that could burn, Hoffmann said.

The community of 5,000 people has just a single street for entry and exit. Hoffmann has $50,000 in federal funding to build a gravel escape road as soon as planning is completed.

Homeowners also need to learn how to create a fuel-free space around their house, Laitinen said.

That means keeping heavy vegetation at least 30 feet back from the house and placing screens to keep embers from underneath houses built on posts and piers.