Inspection of Makua fire site delayed
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
The federal agency that oversees the Army's stewardship of Makua Valley was unable to enter the 2,500 acres that were scorched this week by a fire that burned out of control.
"It's still hot," Gina Shultz, an assistant field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service said yesterday. "There is still unexploded ordnance that could go off."
An inspection of the valley by Fish and Wildlife, as well as Army environmentalists, is scheduled to begin Monday, she said. Among other things the inspectors will try to determine is if the fire damaged any endangered species.
"The good news," she said, is that the area with the snails didn't burn at all."
The O'ahu tree snails are among the threatened animals and plants at Makua.
Meanwhile, activists in Honolulu, who have been protesting military action since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks by holding signs along Ala Moana during rush hour, yesterday put Makua Valley on the top of the list of places they want to "get the Army out of." One long banner held by two activists listed 11 foreign and domestic sites the Army should leave, including Makua.
Groups also threatened to protest today at the Makua gate if a previously scheduled cultural visit is cancelled.
Troy Griffin, deputy public affairs officer for the 25th Infantry Division (Light), said yesterday that 25 members of Malama Makua, an activist group that seeks the return of the valley to civilian control, will be allowed to make the visit. They will travel, as planned, through an area that did not burn, he said.
Fred Dodge, a Wai'anae physician and member of Malama Makua, said the burned part of the valley will be visible to the activists, and that he was glad the Army was sticking to the agreement.
"But at this point," Dodge said, "the bottom line is, the military should clean up the valley and leave."
Military officials should have learned from a fire that started in a similar manner in 1995 and burned 1,500 acres, Dodge said. They should have anticipated the variable winds common in the area, he said.
The fire this week at Makua began with a controlled burn on Tuesday, started by the Army in an attempt to clear unexploded ordnance so that inspectors could enter a 900-acre area and catalog ancient Hawaiian cultural sites.
A videotape of the fire, made by a witness who began taping during the controlled burn and continued when the winds whipped it out of control, will be broadcast on Channel 53 Monday at 7 p.m., Tuesday at 2 p.m., Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., officials at 'Olelo said.
Laurie Lucking, cultural resources manager for U.S. Army Garrison, Hawai'i, also was at Makua on Tuesday for a meeting and stayed to watch the burn from the range control tower on a hill.
At first, she said, the burn, which was started mid-way into a valley, was proceeding as scheduled. The winds were coming from the west, and the fire was slowly moving east, well under control.
"Then all of a sudden the winds picked up," she said. "It was fierce on the tower." She said that as she stood on an outdoor platform, her clothes were plastered against her by the wind. The wind continued to pick up speed, she said, and suddenly began to shift, first blowing from the south, then from the east.
"It did a 180," she said. "I'd never seen anything like it."
The fire spread and leapt, she said, ordnance exploding as it moved. The blaze skipped around, leaving some areas intact, she said. Soldiers and firefighters on the ground and in helicopters fought the fire, but couldn't control it, she said.
The fire started at about 2:30 p.m. By the time she left at 6 p.m., most of a 2,500 acre area had burned.
