Storm dampens brushfire at Kau in volcanoes park
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Staff Writer
HILO, Hawai'i — A thunderstorm yesterday afternoon prompted fire crews in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park to pull back from a brushfire they have been battling since Monday, but the rain dumped much-needed moisture on the blaze.
Park officials said the fire was 50 percent contained, as they reduced their estimate of the burn size to approximately 656 acres at the 1,680-foot elevation near Pepeiao in Ka'u.
Wind pushed the flames up against old lava flows to the north and west edges of the fire, which helped control the blaze, said national park fire management officer Joe Molhoek. A population of endangered 'ohai plants near the south edge of the burn was left unharmed, and the fire does not pose a danger to any buildings in the remote area.
"I'm feeling much better about the fire situation today," Molhoek said yesterday. "We've had favorable weather and additional firefighters have arrived."
Twenty firefighters worked on the ground while helicopters from Tropical Helicopters and Volcano Helicopters on the Big Island and Windward Aviation on Maui made 100-gallon water drops, said ranger Mardie Lane.
Another 20 firefighters from Eldorado National Forest in California arrived in Hilo yesterday and were expected to be on the job today. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
