Kaua'i firefighters last night were battling a brushfire in Wailua that burned 50 to 70 acres between Smith's Tropical Paradise and the Kaua'i Community Correctional Center.

Mary Daubert, Kaua'i County public information officer, said the fire started about 5:30 p.m. yesterday near Smith's Tropical Paradise by the Wailua River. At 10:30 p.m., Daubert said the fire was still burning on the mauka side of Kuhio Highway in a westerly direction but was not posing an immediate threat to property.

"They have it about 50 percent contained," Daubert said.

Police closed both lanes of Kuhio Highway and were using Leho Drive as a bypass road, Daubert said.

Correctional center warden Neal Wagatsuma said that while the fire and smoke were not yet problems, public safety officials had a contingency evacuation plan ready if they had to move the 170 inmates.

"We've been monitoring the situation closely," Wagatsuma said at 10:15 p.m. "Right now it's a quarter or half-mile away. If anything, it'll be the smoke that causes us to move. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

"We've had hurricanes, tsunamis and floods but this is the first time a fire might force us to evacuate," Wagatsuma added. "Fires were not a problem before because we used to have the marsh."

It was not known how the fire started, Daubert said.

Kaua'i fire threatens correctional center

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.