Helicopter crashes fighting Kaua'i fire
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A rescue helicopter operated by Inter-Island Helicopters was destroyed yesterday while fighting a wildfire that temporarily closed access to Lihu'e Airport. The pilot walked away without injuries.
One Aloha Airlines departure was briefly delayed, and dozens of passengers missed flights because of the closing of roads near the airport. Officials of Hawaiian and Aloha airlines said all passengers could be accommodated on yesterday's flights, although a few Aloha passengers chose to delay their flights to today.
"They're all getting out. Everybody will get a flight today," said Patrick Dugan, a spokesman for Hawaiian Air.
Fire department officials estimated the fire scorched 60 acres. It was brought under control by late afternoon.
Inter-Island pilot Gary Hall was alone in the helicopter when a rotor blade struck a tree between an abandoned cane field and the southern edge of Hanama'ulu Bay, said county public information officer Cyndi Ozaki. Officials at Inter-Island Helicopters said they would not respond to questions about the crash.
The firm's Air-1 rescue chopper, a Hughes 500, was being used to carry water to the fringes of a brushfire between the airport and the bay. That fire was ignited by a persistent blaze in a mountain of junked appliances at the Lihu'e Refuse Transfer Station.
Ozaki said the pilot suffered no injuries in the 3:48 p.m. crash, which she said occurred in brush near the fire site.
At about 2:30 p.m., the county closed sections of Ahukini Road and Kapule Highway leading to the airport because of possibly toxic smoke.
The roads were reopened about an hour later, although some traffic was diverted onto side roads around the smokiest areas for another hour.
The blaze started about 11:30 a.m. at the transfer station as heavy equipment was working amidst about 600 tons of "white goods"—water heaters, washers, dryers and the like. The material was being prepared for removal to the Puhi Metals Recycling Center for eventual recycling.
County solid waste coordinator Troy Tanigawa said equipment operators told him the smoke first arose in an area away from where they were working. It quickly billowed flames and black smoke as the plastic materials in the appliances caught fire.
"We don't know what else is in there," Tanigawa said.
He said county officials did not know what started the fire.
Firefighters directed high-pressure hoses on the pile of appliances, but the flames and smoke appeared to be coming from deep within the pile and for hours the application of water had no effect. Later, fire equipment from the airport arrived and drenched the blaze in firefighting foam, which seemed to reduce the intensity of the smoke.
Meanwhile, however, the fire jumped the transfer station fence and began moving through a former cane field that was dense with tall guinea grass. Firefighters sprayed water on the fringes of the fire, construction equipment cut fire breaks and a Navy helicopter from the Pacific Missile Range Facility took the place of the Air-1 chopper in dumping water from the air. By late afternoon, there were still hotspots, but the fire appeared to be under control.
Because of the dense smoke from burning plastic and grass, county Civil Defense officials went on local radio stations recommending that residents of Molokoa and other subdivisions near the airport consider leaving their homes unless they had air conditioning. Workers at some airport offices, such as car rental firms and airline cargo desks, did evacuate.
Airport-based tour helicopter firms delayed or canceled flights during the heaviest smoke.
"We delayed one flight, but everyone was patient and willing to wait," said a representative of Will Squyres Helicopter Service.
The smell of smoke was evident through much of Lihu'e yesterday afternoon, and black ash from the brushfire drifted down to litter the ground. But a Health Department team monitoring the fire said most of the smoke appeared to be rising into the atmosphere and bypassing residential areas on trade winds.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
