Officials with the Kaua‘i Fire Department reported eight brushfires on Kaua‘i over the Fourth of July holiday. A press release from Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s office said fires broke out in Hanama‘ulu, Hanapepe, Kapa‘a, Koloa, Lihu‘e, Lumaha‘i and two in Kekaha.
Officials with the Kaua‘i Fire Department reported eight brushfires on Kaua‘i over the Fourth of July holiday.
A press release from Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s office said fires broke out in Hanama‘ulu, Hanapepe, Kapa‘a, Koloa, Lihu‘e, Lumaha‘i and two in Kekaha.
“During the summer when things are somewhat dry, it is especially important that caution is exercised when using fireworks, burning home or camp fires or when discarding a cigarette,” battalion chief Theodore “Teddy” Williams said in the release.
No one was hurt in any of the fires.
The only cause to be determined was Monday’s fire in Hanama‘ulu. Officials found evidence of fireworks at the site, said county public information officer Mary Daubert.
Though state law relegates firework use to private property, many revelers shot off small fireworks along many beaches around the island.
Hanalei firefighters battling the Lumaha‘i blaze witnessed first hand the carelessness that often accompanies firework use.
Williams said firefighters were refilling their truck with water at Waipa Stream on Monday when they noticed a small child at a nearby residence playing with a sparkler in grass that was about his height while his mother looked on with a baby in her arms.
The firefighters advised the woman and her child of the dangers of playing with fireworks, Williams said in the release.
