WAILUKU The Latest on a brush fire on the Hawaii island of Maui:
WAILUKU — The Latest on a brush fire on the Hawaii island of Maui:
2:35 p.m.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige is declaring Maui a disaster area as a brush fire burns a large expanse of former sugar cane fields.
Ige said Friday the proclamation allows the state to provide quick and efficient relief to those affected by the fire.
The fire is about 20% contained after burning 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) since Thursday.
Maui Fire Department officials said hot, dry and windy conditions could worsen the fire. The National Guard is helping firefighters and conducting water drops with a helicopter.
Maui firefighters are also battling another blaze in the town of Kahului near several retail stores.
The fire is moving away from buildings, so the Maui Police Department isn’t ordering evacuations. But the Lowe’s hardware store is voluntarily evacuating people from its store.
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10 a.m.
Officials say a Hawaii brush fire that prompted evacuation orders and diverted flights is far from contained.
Maui Fire Department officials said hot, dry and windy conditions Friday could worsen the fire. The National Guard are helping firefighters and conducting water drops with a helicopter.
The blaze fueled by dry brush and strong winds erupted Thursday on northwestern side of the island, burning 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) of fields. It’s partially contained.
The Maui News reports that the flames moved toward two communities, leading authorities to order mandatory evacuations for up to 3,000 people and open shelters Thursday. The orders have been lifted.
Airlines are working to bring in extra flights to Kahului Airport for more than 500 passengers who had travel plans canceled Thursday.
No injuries have been reported.
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One has to consider the stupidity of your elected representatives who let the HS & S sugar company, the last of Hawaii’s iconic agriculture business go bankrupt in the same manner they did nothing to wean former Aloha Airlines back to health is partly responsible for this huge brush fire to erupt.
Former sugar fields are overgrown with dry brush which would have been controlled had the sugar industry still be in business. Not just on Maui, but also on Kauai when the last sugar operation run by Gay and Roberson approach the State in its effort to locally produce ethanol for both domestic as well as export, but the stupidity of your elected morons can not think beyond what they normally see “under the table” of envelopes stuffed with benjamines.
Now we still pay for imported ethanol that is used in all gasoline products, which could have been easliy replaced by locally produced from your own sugar companies. The only way these elected idiots think is to tax everything you use.