A brush fire in the Kunia area, which led to the evacuation of residents and the closure of roads, has been extinguished. The fire burned 600 acres and was fully contained by 3:18 a.m. on Wednesday, according to KITV.
The Honolulu Fire Department led the response to the recent Kunia fires, with help from the Honolulu Emergency Operations Center, the National Guard, federal firefighters, the Department of Forestry and Wildlife, and the Department of Transportation. Many residents were evacuated, but roads have reopened and emergency shelters at Hoaeae Community Park and Waipahu District Park have closed after the fire was put out. Tuesday’s fire was the seventh in the area since August 10th. Alvin Church, a resident of Kunia Loa Ridge Farmlands, said, "And right now, we need a lot of help trying to find out who’s starting these fires, who’s behind it, because it’s only a matter of time before somebody’s going to end up getting killed in there," as reported by KHON2.
Authorities have reopened Kunia Road after recent fires in the area, which caused no injuries or immediate threats to homes. Roxanne Balayan told Hawaii News Now, "It is kind of concerning considering this is like, I don’t know what number, just even within the last couple of weeks, and then just in the same kind of general area." Investigations into the cause of the fires are ongoing, and officials advise residents to stay alert and register for HNL Alert for safety updates. Local farmers have requested additional resources to help prevent future incidents.
