Firefighters have gotten more control over a wildfire on Hawaiʻi Island that forced thousands of people to evacuate over the weekend and destroyed at least two homes, but officials warned strong winds Monday could raise the danger again.
The wildfire prompted evacuation orders over the weekend for residents living in Waikoloa Village, Puʻu Kapu Hawaiian Homestead and Waikiʻi Ranch. All orders were lifted Sunday evening, but officials warned they could be reinstated at any time and that people should be ready to go.
“It’s the biggest (fire) we’ve ever had on this island,” Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth said of the more than 62-square-mile (160-square-kilometer) blaze. "With the drought conditions that we’ve had, it is of concern. You see something like this where you’re putting thousands of homes in danger, it’s very concerning.”
Fires in Hawaiʻi are unlike many of those burning in the U.S. West. They tend to break out in large grasslands on the dry sides of the islands and are generally much smaller than mainland fires.
Even though Hawaiʻi has a wet, tropical climate that isn’t typically at risk from large fires, blazes could become more frequent as climate change-related weather patterns intensify.
The islands have seen a downward trend in overall rainfall in recent years. Drought conditions have reached the most severe level in some parts of Hawaiʻi in recent years, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Drought that is tied to climate change has made wildfires harder to fight.
Two homes were confirmed destroyed in the Hawaiʻi fire. One homeowner said he tried to protect his property but lost the battle as the wind picked up.
“I had a dozer on my lawn, my land, and I tried to make a fire break,” Joshua Kihe of the community of Waimea told Hawaii News Now. He said the fire destroyed his home.
“I definitely need to think of a plan because it’s a life-changer,” he said.
Others scrambled to evacuate.
“I just seen the flames coming," Waimea resident Kanani Malakaua said. “I mainly got my important papers, made sure my kids were in the car, got my animals — but this is a very, very scary time for us.”
Some nearby roads were closed, making certain neighborhoods inaccessible, but there was no imminent threat to those houses. No injuries have been reported, as of Monday.
Hawaiʻi County Fire Chief Kazuo Todd said winds were expected to increase Monday.
“Our current wind forecast is showing wind patterns between 18 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph," Todd said Sunday night, “and so while throughout the evening our crews will be working to build fire breaks with dozers and back burns, this temporary lift on the mandatory evacuation may have to be reinforced later on due to prevailing weather patterns.”
According to the National Weather Service, strong winds and generally dry conditions will continue throughout the islands on Monday. The gusts will begin to ease Tuesday.
The fire chief said nearby communities could be inundated with smoke and that anyone with health or breathing problems should find somewhere else to stay.
Roth, the island's mayor, said the way the wind comes through the area makes it difficult to fight the flames and that officials and residents must stay vigilant.
“The winds kind of swirl, so they’ll be coming at one direction for a couple of minutes and then all of a sudden, they’re blowing in a different direction; that makes it really very difficult to fight a fire when you have swirling winds,” Roth said.
HPR's The Conversation spoke to Marty Moran of the Hawaiʻi County Red Cross about the wildfire and preparing for emergencies.
"Have a go kit, have your important papers set aside, know where you're going to go, set up a phone tree with your family so you can get information out to them when you're safe — and then follow all the instructions that come over the radio and through the news media from the local government, and be ready to react," he said. "We'll be there for you, we'll be waiting."
