HANAPEPE — A brush fire forced an evacuation order for nearby residents and transmission lines to be de-energized, as firefighters worked to get the upper hand on a blaze along a ridgeline in Hanapepe on Monday.
The brush fire, which was reported shortly before noon on Monday, was estimated to have consumed approximately 28 acres by mid-afternoon.
Firefighters with the Hanapepe, Kalaheo and Waimea fire stations responded to the scene, as well Tanker 1, Tanker 2, Air 1, Air 2 and the Department of Public Works. Gay and Robinson also responded with a water tanker, while a private contractor brought in a bulldozer to assist.
At least one helicopter could be seen scooping up water from the ocean, and then heading back toward the brush fire to make a water drop.
The brush fire, which was moving west, was initially deemed to be of no threat to housing but that changed at roughly 2:50 p.m. when an evacuation order was issued by the County of Kaua‘i for residents in nearby Kaumakani. The Kaua‘i Bus service helped evacuate residents near Aloha Sweet Delites, the County of Kaua‘i said.
The brush fire also forced Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative to de-energize transmission lines from Kaumakani to Mana, which left hundreds of customers in the area without power for an unspecified period of time.
“Power for those residents will not be restored until clearance is obtained from the Kauai Emergency Management Agency and the Kauai Fire Department,” said Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative in a Facebook post at 5:40 p.m. on Monday.
The utility also noted that customers on the westside from Waimea to Mana and Koke‘e should be prepared for de-energization should the fire continue into the evening.
“While solar and battery units are currently providing power to those areas, those power sources will eventually deplete. Members in Waimea, Kekaha, Mana and Kokee are encouraged to conserve power in the meantime and be prepared for a prolonged outage,” the utility said.
A stretch of Kuamuali‘i Highway, from Lele Road in Hanapepe to Kaumakani near Aloha Sweet Delites, was also closed because of the brush fire, in turn creating a logjam of vehicles backing up to ‘Ele‘ele at one point.
The road closure and brush fire also led to Summer Fun staff at locations in Hanapepe, Kalaheo and Kekaha to continue to remain with participants.
The Department of Education said it opened an evacuation center for Kaumakani residents at Waimea High School on Monday afternoon.
And, later in the afternoon, the Department of Water issued a water conservation notice for customers from Hanapepe to Kekaha until further notice.
“Customers are advised to limit water use to essential needs only to avoid a water service outage,” the Department of Water said.
While the Department of Water did not cite a reason for issuing the conservation notice, the brush fire appeared to be the catalyst.
