WAINIHA — After 48 hours, Kauai firefighters have successfully extinguished the 20-acre brush fire above Powerhouse Road in Wainiha.
A community collaboration of responders that involved the Hanalei Fire Station, private landowners, Rescue 3, Tanker 1, Air 1 and 2, a Jack Harter helicopter, the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the Kauai Police Department, and the on-duty battalion chief all successfully worked in sync to extinguish the fire.
According to the Kauai Fire Department (KFD), first responders received an emergency 911 call on Wednesday, Sept. 18 regarding a fire on Powerhouse Road at approximately 8:35 p.m.
Fire crews arrived on the scene and discovered two fires on the ridge inaccessible to firefighters. Due to the terrain inaccessibility, officials immediately set a station at Camp Naue to patrol and better monitor the situation overnight on Wednesday with additional support from the Kauai Emergency Management Agency.
Firefighters later turned their focus onto the larger blaze after the smaller blaze fizzled overnight on Wednesday.
At around 6 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, fire officials updated the community and reported that water drops were still being conducted along the ridge with fire crews stationed both on the eastern flank and the western flank to protect nearby homes.
Engine 1 and Rescue 3 crews used utility task vehicles (UTV’s) to reach the top of the fire, while Air 1 and 2 along with a Jack Harter helicopter made water drops throughout the day. Firefighters and landowners also continued to put out hot spots on the ground until about 11 p.m. on Thursday.
Firefighters continued to work overnight to monitor the zone and cleared the scene on Friday, Sept. 20.
Officials said the cause of the fire is still undetermined. No injuries or damage to any structures were reported.
