KOKE‘E — Crews continue to make steady progress in fighting the wildfire along the Poki‘i, Paua and Waiaka ridges in Koke‘e on Sunday. Kaua‘i Fire Chief Robert Westerman estimates the fire is roughly 50 percent contained as of 2 p.m.
KOKE‘E — Crews continue to make steady progress in fighting the wildfire along the Poki‘i, Paua and Waiaka ridges in Koke‘e on Sunday.
Kaua‘i Fire Chief Robert Westerman estimates the fire is roughly 50 percent contained as of 2 p.m. Sunday. While the fire remains to be hundreds of acres in size, crews have now secured a perimeter around the blaze, giving them the upper hand on suppression efforts, according to a County news statement.
Waimea Canyon Drive has reopened early Sunday afternoon but is now closed due to flare ups in the brush fire. Koke‘e Road remains closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles until further notice.
“We are very grateful for everyone’s support, particularly the Pacific Missile Range Facility,” said Westerman. “With the addition of their personnel and equipment, we were able to save the water pump house located on the east side of the fire. This pump house provides water to the entire Waimea community.”
Power to that pump house has since been fully restored, according to the county statement. However, there is one more tank that remains without power this morning. As a precautionary measure, the water conservation request remains in effect for the Kekaha community.
Westerman has confirmed that crews from the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative will now be allowed into certain areas to inspect and repair any damage to power lines. At this time, power to the Koke‘e area remains down and therefore the voluntary evacuation for residents and businesses in Koke’e continues through at least Sunday.
“We are making progress in fighting the blaze, but we are in an area of very dry brush where spot fires can easily ignite,” Westerman said. “It is crucial that fires are completely extinguished before we allow people back into the area. We understand the inconvenience this has posed to our community but safety is our number one priority.”
Roughly 40 personnel from multiple agencies, including Kaua‘i Fire Department; the Department of Public Works; the state Department of Land and Natural Resources; the Pacific Missile Range Facility; and private contractors continue to work together in battling the blaze that began shortly after midnight on Friday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
