Battalion Chief Clint Coloma said at 10:15 p.m. that over 50 people —  a combination of county firefighters and public works, state forestry and national park personnel — are battling the fire, which is moving makai toward Highway 19 and Waikoloa Road.

The fire started at 8:16 a.m. today on Waikoloa Road, one mile from Waikoloa Village, and quickly burned 500 acres due to wind conditions, said Coloma. The village was not threatened, he said.

The fire spread south toward Kailua-Kona but the wind died down and the fire changed direction, Coloma said. By 6:20 p.m., it had burned 6,000 acres.

Coloma said the direction of the fire presents a threat to some endangered plant species.