Maui burns

Maui County officials closed all roads to public use in the town of Lahaina as wildfires on the Hawaiian island burned out of control, driven by high winds that the Associated Press said gusted over 60 mph. Hurricane Dora has passed to the south of the islands at a distance of nearly 500 miles, but extreme conditions and violent winds across the islands resulted in numerous power outages late Tuesday; firefighters struggled to reach areas cut off by downed trees and powerlines.

The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora’s winds knocked out power and grounded firefighting helicopters.

West Maui is closed off to all traffic, according to a CNN report from Maui County. Only emergency personnel are allowed access to that part of the island.

NASA image, Maui firesThe BBC reported that some residents were forced to jump into the ocean ahead of racing flames; the Coast Guard said at least a dozen people were rescued from the water. Local media reported “apocalyptic scenes” in the historic town of Lahaina, parts of which were destroyed or severely damaged. The Lahaina fire is one of at least seven now burning in the state.

A local CBS affiliate reported that dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed on the western part of the island of Maui, the second largest and third most populated island in the state. HawaiiNewsNow reported that witnesses described apocalyptic scenes Tuesday. Residents say an overwhelmed fire force, fighting flames all day in powerful winds, could do little as flames ripped through Lahaina.

Videos from the island show the historic town’s main street and local businesses burning. “Buildings on both sides were engulfed,” local business owner Alan Dickar told CBS.

“Hawaii National Guardsmen have been activated and are currently on Maui assisting Maui Police Department at traffic control points,” said Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, Hawaii’s adjutant general. The overnight deployment was hastened by the dynamic fire conditions, and additional National Guard personnel are expected to arrive in Maui and Hawaii counties later Wednesday, Hara said.

Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke, who is acting while Gov. Josh Green is traveling out of state, issued an emergency proclamation Tuesday that activated the Guard. Updated road closures and other emergency notices are posted on the County of Maui facebook page.

 

Leilani Fire burns more than 20,000 acres in Hawaii

Started in a US Army training area in July

Updated 8:55 a.m. PDT August 13, 2022

More accurate mapping on Friday found that the Leilani Fire on Hawaii’s Big Island was not as large as the earlier 25,000-acre estimate, and had instead burned 16,400 acres as of Friday afternoon. Fire officials said it was about two miles from Highway 190.

From BigIslandNow, August 12 at 3:41 p.m. HST:

“The last two days the fire was mostly burning in invasive fountain grass. It’s the first plant that comes in after fire disturbance,” said Steve Bergfeld, the Hawaii Island Branch Manager for the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, and one of three incident commanders on the fire. “Unfortunately, the fire has moved into some dryland forest which has native ōhiʻa lehua and we are trying to keep flames away from this sensitive area.”

Seven contracted bulldozers left a fire command post this morning, leading the way into the fire area, where the heavy machines continued building wide fire lines. Five helicopters from the U.S. Army’s Pōhakuloa Training Area are conducting aerial water drops. It’s hoped this all-out assault on the Leilani fire will result in firefighters gaining the upper hand in the next few days.

The video below was shot Friday August 12 by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

The photos below are still images from DLNR videos.


12:01 p.m. PDT August 12, 2022

Map of the Leilani Fire, morning of Aug. 12, 2022
Map of the Leilani Fire. The red and tan dots represent heat detected by a satellite early in the morning Aug. 12, 2022. The small red perimeter was the extent of the fire on July 22, 2022.

A fire in Hawaii that the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said has been burning for weeks has suddenly become much more active. The Leilani Fire started in the US Army’s Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island and was mapped July 22 at 2,362 acres. Recent strong winds and extremely dry conditions have helped it spring back to life and was reported Thursday evening to be 25,000 acres.

Satellite heat detections early Friday morning appeared to show it has advanced out of the Department of Defense training area and spread northwest onto state land, approaching the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Highway 200). State officials said it was about a mile south of Hawaii Belt Road (Highway 190).

Leilani Fire big Island Hawaii
Leilani Fire, image from video by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Officials with the DLNR said Thursday it was not threatening any homes but dry fuels and winds gusting up to 30 mph are making it difficult to contain the blaze. It is burning through brush and grass dessicated during the drought.

A spokesperson for the Army told The Associated Press that while there is active military training in the area, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Leilani Fire big Island Hawaii
Leilani Fire, image from video by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

“There are units up there training, I can’t confirm or deny if live fire was taking place,” said Michael O. Donnelly, chief of external communications for the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii. “It’s business as usual, but the exact cause we don’t know.”

Leilani Fire big Island Hawaii
Leilani Fire, image from video by Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Wildfire north of Honolulu threatened structures

And, the aircraft formerly known as the SuperTanker was spotted in Hawaii

Wildfire north of Honolulu, Nov. 26, 2021
Wildfire north of Honolulu, Nov. 26, 2021. Photo by Hiroshi Ando.

The day after Thanksgiving, November 26, a wildfire north of Honolulu, Hawaii threatened structures near Kalana Drive and Alu Street. After the report was received around noon 12 pieces of apparatus staffed with about 34 personnel responded.

Two helicopters owned by the City and County of Honolulu assisted firefighters by dropping water that was dipped out of a swimming pool at Kalihi Valley District Park.

Wildfire north of Honolulu, Nov. 26, 2021 helicopter drops water
MD 500N helicopter, owned by the City & County of Honolulu, working on a wildfire north of the city. Photo by Hiroshi Ando, Nov. 26, 2021.

In a news release the Honolulu Fire Department described the fire as “large scale, rapidly spreading” driven by wind. They said it burned about four acres.

Wildfire north of Honolulu, Nov. 26, 2021 helicopter drops water
MD 500N helicopter, owned by the City & County of Honolulu, dips water out of a swimming pool while working on a wildfire north of the city. Photo by Hiroshi Ando, Nov. 26, 2021.
Wildfire north of Honolulu, Nov. 26, 2021 helicopter drops water
MD 500N helicopter, owned by the City & County of Honolulu, working on a wildfire north of the city. Photo by Hiroshi Ando, Nov. 26, 2021.

It is dry in Hawaii. The Drought Monitor classifies conditions in the state as ranging from abnormally dry to exceptional drought.

Hawaii Drought Monitor, Nov. 23, 2021
Hawaii Drought Monitor, Nov. 23, 2021

These photos were taken by Hiroshi Ando who was one of the drop system operators on Global SuperTanker Services’ 747 SuperTanker. Earlier this year the company shut down and sold the aircraft to National Airlines, who re-registered it as N936CA and is using it as a freighter. Hiroshi shot the photo below earlier this month when the aircraft was in Hawaii. He said he has spotted the plane a few times there while it was flying on military cargo flights.

N936CA, formerly Tanker 944
N936CA, formerly Air Tanker 944, now owned by National Airlines. Photographed in Hawaii by Hiroshi Ando Nov. 4, 2021.

Hiroshi said the fire north of Honolulu started about four hours after Coulson’s C-130 Air Tanker 131, N131CG, departed Hilo after the crew stopped to spend the night on their ferry flight from the US West Coast on their way to begin a firefighting contract in Australia for the country’s 2021/2022 bushfire season.

In 2018 Hiroshi sent us photos he took of the Holy Fire while the SuperTanker was working on the fire which burned more than 22,000 acres northwest of Lake Elsinore, California.

Brush fire burns 40,000 acres on Hawaii’s Big Island

Hawaii brush fire
Still image from Big Island Video News video, August 2, 2021.

A vegetation fire burned for about four days on Hawaii’s Big Island, blackening 40,000 acres according to estimates from fire officials. It is the largest brush fire on record for Hawaii County.

Evacuations were ordered for residents of three communities but have since been lifted.

Hawaii Fire
Hawaii Fire. Photo by 25th Infantry Division.

The fire was reported Friday morning near Mana Road in Waimea and quickly prompted the evacuation of Pu’u Kapu Hawaiian Homestead and Waiki’i Ranch. Two homes in the Department of Hawaiian Homelands Puukapu Subdivision were destroyed.

When the fire was spreading rapidly it was pushed by 18 to 20 mph winds gusting to 40 mph.

“There are no longer threats to life and property and all roadways are open in both directions,” wrote Hawaii County Mayor Roth on Facebook Tuesday. The incident has been downgraded from an emergency situation to a normal fire operation he said.

The Drought Monitor reports that more than half of the island is in moderate to severe drought.

Hawaii Fire map
Hawaii Fire, designated in red. Map by County of Hawaii.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park closed Hilina Pali and Mauna Loa roads to vehicle traffic due to the heightened fire danger.

“Staying safe while protecting the natural and cultural resources of the park is our top priority,” said park fire management officer Greg Funderburk. “Fire danger indexes in both areas are above the 90th percentile and any ignitions that occur would be difficult to suppress and likely to result in a large fire.”

The video below recorded heat detected by a satellite on the Big Island over a four day period. Hawaii is 10 hours behind UTC seen at upper left.

Remembering the firefighters injured or killed at Pearl Harbor 79 years ago today

Posted on Categories UncategorizedTags
Hangar 11 at Hickam Field, December 7, 1941
Hangar 11 at Hickam Field, December 7, 1941. Courtesy Library of Congress.

Billy G. of FirefighterCloseCalls.com, “Home of the Secret List,” reminded his followers of the significance of December 7 — Pearl Harbor Day:


For those younger readers of The Secret List, today, “Pearl Harbor Day” remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States at our naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941.

That day 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 personnel were killed, and 1,282 were wounded. We remember them all from “The Greatest Generation” who served along with all those who continue to serve today including the Honolulu FD and Hawaii’s Federal FD Firefighters.

REMEMBERING THE FIREFIGHTERS KILLED & INJURED IN THE LINE OF DUTY AT PEARL HARBOR:

As the Hickam Field firefighting apparatus was knocked out, Honolulu Fire companies responded to assist with the fires. At 0826 a Japanese aerial bomb was dropped on crews from HFD Engine Companies 1, 4, and 6. Three firefighters, Captain John Carreira, Captain Thomas S. Macy, and Hoseman Harry T.L. Pang were killed in the Line of Duty.

An additional six were wounded from shrapnel. They were Honolulu Fire Lieutenant Fred Kealoha, Hoseman Moses Kalilikane, Hoseman John A. Gilman, Hoseman Solomon H. Naauao, Hoseman Patrick J. McCabe, and Hoseman George Correa.

In 1944 they all were awarded the Order of the Purple Heart. They are the only civilian Firefighters to have ever received this award.

MORE on Pearl Harbor as we remember all those lost on December 7, 1941:

VIDEO:
Original Pearl Harbor News Footage

VIDEO:

 

Brush fire has burned about 20% of Kahoʻolawe

The island is southwest of Maui in Hawaii

Kaho‘olawe Island fire satellite photo map
Satellite photo showing the vegetation fire on Kaho‘olawe Island February 25, 2020. Sentinel 2, processed by Wildfire Today.

The fire that started over the weekend has burned about 6,400 acres on Kahoʻolawe island southwest of Maui in Hawaii. The Maui Fire Department sized up the blaze Wednesday and confirmed that due to unexploded ordnances left over from 49 years of the military using the island as a bombing range it is unsafe for firefighters on the ground or the air to attempt to suppress the fire.

Kaho‘olawe Island fire
Storage facilities for the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission burned in the fire. Photo Feb., 25, 2020 by Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission

The Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission’s main storage facilities have burned.

“Losing the KIRC storage facility, more commonly known as ‘Squid’, to the fire yesterday was a huge setback,” the Commission reported February 26 in a news release. “Squid was home to the majority of our restoration and irrigation supplies and equipment, along with five 2500 gallon water catchment tanks, a fleet of all-terrain vehicles used to transport volunteers and gear to work sites, and water craft used for ocean management projects and activities. All of these things are vital to the restoration efforts undertaken by KIRC staff and their volunteer force.”

The fire has blackened an area on the west side of the island that is about three miles by three miles, covering about 20 percent of the 10-mile long island.

Kaho‘olawe Island fire
Kaho‘olawe Island fire. Photo by Maui Fire Department.
Kaho‘olawe Island fire map 3-D
Map, 3-D, showing the location of the fire on Kaho‘olawe Island February 25, 2020. Google/Wildfire Today.