Updated at 6:55 p.m., Thursday, July 12, 2007
Maui fire prompts evacuation
Advertiser Staff
KULA, Maui — Officials today evacuated four people from a cabin in Polipoli Springs State Park and closed the Waipoli/Kula Forest Reserve access road after a fire was reported at 2:30 p.m. about half a mile from the park entrance.The fire, reported by Kahului Airport control tower officials, had burned about three acres, but no structures were threatened, said Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman Deborah Ward. It was reported about 20 feet from the road, and officials planned to evacuate other park users.
The DLNR's Division of Forestry and Wildlife had 13 firefighters, a fire engine and a 3,500-gallon water tanker at the scene, with Maui County providing four firefighters and a fire engine, Ward said. The crews were working to contain the perimeter and were expected to remain on scene well into the night. Weather conditions were clear with light winds, she said.
The fire was a smoldering in decaying pine needles and branches within an area that burned in a January blaze that consumed 2,300 acres of forest.
