Firefighters are still working to extinguish a large brushfire near Kōkeʻe on Kauaʻi.
The fire is 60% contained and burned between 300 and 500 acres. Officials say it ignited just before 3 a.m. on Thursday, possibly by a car fire just off Waimea Canyon Drive.
Kauaʻi Fire Department Chief Michael Gibson said fire breaks in the area are maintained by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and private landowners. Both have greatly reduced the spread of flames.
The DLNR said it hopes to achieve complete containment of the “Hukipo fire," which is what crews are calling it, by the end of the day.
Waimea Canyon Drive remains closed from Mile Marker 2 to the junction at Kōke‘e Road. No homes or structures are threatened.
Officials initially said the fire had burned 1,200 acres of land. But, KFD in a news release said, “Limited visibility due to darkness and smoke made it difficult to accurately assess the fire's extent before daylight.”
The DLNR said that the land that was burned contained invasive grass.
"While we had ample moisture this spring and the vegetation is green, this is a perfect example of how invasive non-native plants like haole koa and guinea grass provide hearty fuel for wildfires," said Sheri Mann, DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife Kaua‘i branch manager, in a statement.
