Residents of a Big Island subdivision were allowed to return to their homes yesterday morning after being evacuated last night and having to spend the night in a Red Cross Shelter at the Waimea Community Center.

The center closed at 7 a.m., Red Cross officials said. Thirteen people stayed the night as firefighters battled a large brushfire that threatened the subdivision on Kawaiha Road between Waiula Road and Anekona Street in South Kohala.

The Big Island Fire Department responded to the brushfire at about 10:30 a.m. Soon after, they evacuated the nearby subdivision and continued to fight the fires until after 6 a.m. yesterday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.