Posted at 6:57 p.m., Saturday, June 30, 2007
Brushfire scorches 600 acres on Big Island
Advertiser Staff
An early-morning brushfire on the Big Island burned more than 600 acres of tall grasses and keawe trees before it was extinguished about 8 a.m. today.Firefighters got to the scene about 12:04 a.m.
The fire was situated in North Kohala on Akoni Pule Highway, between Mahukona and Lapakahi.
The highway was closed briefly, and a few campers in the area were evacuated to safety, fire officials said.
About 18 firefighters pushed back the blaze, which was moving toward the sea. In addition to dousing the flames with water, they used two bulldozers to create a fire break along the Lepakahi side.
