WAINIHA — A brush fire in the North Shore kept firefighters working overnight and into the day on Thursday.
WAINIHA — A brush fire in the North Shore kept firefighters working overnight and into the day on Thursday.
The Kauai Fire Department (KFD) said at approximately 8:35 p.m. on Wednesday, a call was received regarding two fires on the ridge at Powerhouse Road in Wainiha.
Hanalei Fire Station personnel along with the on-duty battalion chief responded to the call with Rescue 3, Tanker 1 and several private landowners.
Due to the inaccessibility of the fire because of the terrain, fire crews monitored the blaze overnight, while Air 1 made water drops. KFD and Kauai Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) personnel set up a command post at Camp Naue for additional support after reports came in of smoke entering homes.
At around 6 a.m. on Thursday, officials estimated the size of the blaze to be about 20 acres. Fire personnel successfully extinguished the smaller blaze overnight. However, Air 1 and Air 2 continued to make water drops throughout the early morning.
“I live on Powerhouse Road and we are just kinda on alert right now,” said a Wainiha resident, who identified herself as Cookie. “We are not affected due to the wind direction, but that can easily be a different story. But kudos to the Kauai firefighters cause they’re always on top of everything.”
As of Thursday afternoon, 60 percent of the fire had been contained with Air 1 and Air 2 still making water drops over the blaze. Firefighters will continue to patrol and monitor Wainiha Powerhouse Road and the Haena area until the fire is extinguished.
No injuries or road closures have been reported.
