Suspicious blazes strain fire department staffing
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Just when O'ahu's brushfire season is supposedly over, more of them keep popping up — and a few appear to have been intentionally set.
Firefighters have battled stubborn brushfires near Kalihi Valley since Saturday, and officials called the latest fire there on Tuesday "suspicious." The fire came within 50 yards of homes, and firefighters spent yesterday checking for more "hot spots" above Kalihi Valley.
Fire crews have also been occupied the past two days with brushfires in Kane'ohe, Kahuku, Waimea, Wai'anae and Kunia, stretching department manpower, according to Honolulu Fire spokesman Capt. Richard Soo.
Compounding the brushfire problem is the lack of recent rain in some parts of O'ahu, he said.
The latest fire in Kalihi Valley started around 2 p.m. Tuesday in three areas directly above Kula Kolea Drive, Soo said. The fire spread to about 50 yards of the nearest homes before it was brought under control around 4 p.m., Soo said.
"The fires we've been battling since Saturday were on the Fort Shafter side of the mountain," Soo said. "Suddenly, this fire pops up in three different spots on the Kalihi side of the mountain. There doesn't seem to be a natural explanation for this, so we're asking the public to keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
The brushfires are also taking a toll on department manpower. Twice this week, the Fire Department has been at "level-one manning," which means one-third of its force was responding to an alarm. That forced other fire units around the island to relocate to maintain coverage.
The problem with relocating units is it takes a fire company away from a community it is assigned to, and temporarily reassigns it to another area that the crew may not be familiar with.
During one of those "level-one" stages, an engine company stationed at Kaka'ako was sent to an alarm in Waipahu, Soo said.
"On Tuesday, we had an 'Aikahi station unit relocated all the way to town after the Kalihi fire flared up," he said. "When a brushfire was reported in Kane'ohe (on Tuesday), the 'Aikahi unit had to drive back to cover that."
