Car causes small brush fire in Wailua

WAILUA — A small brush fire closed two lanes on Kuhio Highway for about an hour in Wailua Monday.

No injuries were reported and no structures were threatened.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., personnel from the Kapaa fire station were dispatched to a brush fire, about 20 feet by 20 feet, just south of Marine Camp Road.

According to a preliminary investigation, a 51-year-old Waimea man was heading south in a Dodge Dakota pickup truck on Kuhio Highway when its front right-side tire fell off. The tire’s axle made contact with the pavement, causing sparks that ignited a small brush fire.

Kauai police closed the southbound lane and one northbound lane of Kuhio Highway and directed alternating traffic along one northbound lane, while firefighters extinguished the fire in less than 10 minutes.

Police reopened all lanes about 11:30 a.m.

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The Garden Island