Updated at 12:59 p.m., Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Fire fully contained in populated area near Lahaina
News Release
A fire that started on Sunday in brush above the Puamana subdivision in Lahaina on Maui is now 100 percent contained in the populated areas with wild land areas still being attended to by Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) personnel, according to a Maui County news release issued today.The fire is still under investigation and no cause has been determined, said Maui Deputy Fire Chief Neal Bal. Water tankers and bulldozer equipment have been recalled from the scene that burned more than 1,000 acres. Six county firefighters and one fire engine are assisted by two helicopters conducting water drops.
The fire moved into the Panaewa section of the state's 1,717 acre Natural Area Reserve, burning about 45 acres in the lower areas of the reserve. Seventeen state Division of Forestry and Wildlife firefighting personnel are on site. Also, 35 acres in the adjoining Puehuehunui section of the 370-acre West Maui Forest Reserve were burned. Because of rough terrain in the forest reserve, Maui County helicopters provided support to suppress the fire in that area.
The Natural Area Reserve and the West Maui Forest Reserve is administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
