By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
‘O‘OKALA, Hawai‘i — A runaway brushfire yesterday afternoon threatened a closure of the Hawai‘i Belt Highway, disrupted travel of students returning home from Laupahoehoe School and halted telephone service.
The fire broke out around noon between the 29- and 30-mile markers of the island’s main highway near ‘O‘¯kala Gymnasium at the former sugar plantation village. Students in the area were held at Laupahoehoe, seven miles south, until the situation was stabilized.
Bill Davis, Civil Defense administrator, warned motorists of possible delays. Police said telephone service was expected to be restored in the evening.
The cause of the fire and its size were not immediately available from the fire department.
It was the second major wildfire in north Hilo this month. A fire burned for three days at Ka‘awali‘i Gulch, causing traffic delays Feb. 1-3. The cause of that blaze was never established.
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