Kailua fire nears homes
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
KAILUA — Flames from a brush fire at Bellows Air Force Station came within 30 feet of homes in Keolu Hills yesterday before firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Flames shooting 30 to 40 feet in the air along the ridge that separates the homes from the military base prompted the evacuation of about half a dozen homes on Kupau Street.
Ron Chow of the Honolulu Fire Department hoses a hot spot on the slopes of Keolu Hills, next to Bellows Field Air Force Base. Yesterday's fire burned about 50 acres and came within 10 yards of some Keolu Hills homes.
Strong winds spread the fire quickly and sent smoke and ash as far as downtown Honolulu.
Smoke was so thick in Keolu Hills that it was difficult to see.
Charlotte Hashimoto, 64, said she was called home from work because of the fire and couldn't even see her house.
"I was thinking the worst because of the massive smoke," she said.
Her home had no damage, but the blackened hillside showed how close the fire had come.
Eleven fire department units with about 60 firefighters and one military fire truck responded to the 11:57 a.m. call, said Capt. Emmit Kane, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman.
Initially, seven units were sent to Keolu Hills to protect homes and four were sent to Bellows. One fire department and two military helicopters also fought the flames with ocean water, Kane said.
The hillsides in Bellows and behind the Kailua homes are covered in koa haole and short grass, but everything was dried out from the drought, Kane said.
The fire was under control by 3:30 p.m., having burned about 50 acres.
A couple of fire breaks helped firefighters get the upper hand, Kane said. A road on top of the ridge prevented flames from reaching some of the homes, and the runway at Bellows protected structures there, he said.
After the fire was contained, military ordnance could be heard detonating from the heat, on the base just over the ridge. To minimize danger to firefighters, Kane said the rest of the fire would be fought with air drops.
The effects of the fire were felt far from Kailua.
Benjalyne Kalilikane, 29, of St. Louis Heights, said there was thick smoke and a strong smell, and ash fell on her car and house.
"We thought it was close — closer than it actually is," said Kalilikane, whose father-in-law expected a fire truck at any moment.
John Scrivener, who lives on Kupau Street at the top of Hele Street in Keolu Hills, said he often sees smoke from military training at Bellows, but yesterday was different.
When he climbed the ridge behind his home to look, Scrivener said he saw 30- to 40-foot flames coming up the side of the hill.
He called 911.
Firefighters responded quickly and had to use a small truck to haul their hose up his steep 120-foot driveway, he said.
Scrivener, 60, said fire has worried him since he moved into the home in 1991, particularly now, with all the dry brush surrounding him. He has taken some precautions to protect his home, but it's still vulnerable, he said.
The retired portfolio investment manager said was glad he was home when the fire broke out.
"This could have done a lot more damage if it got over the top," Scrivener said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
