Community support is being sought for some affected by a weekend wildfire in West Oʻahu.
The Honolulu Fire Department responded to a wildfire Sunday afternoon in Māʻili, which led to a mass evacuation of Leeward Coast residents, several local news sites reported at the time.
"Mahalo to the community for their ongoing support, and to our partners at the city, state, and federal levels for their coordinated efforts to contain the fire and keep our community safe," HFD said in a July 7 statement.
The fire burned 95 acres and was fully contained at 1:24 a.m. on July 7. It so far has claimed the life of a 94-year-old woman who suffered smoke inhalation and second-degree burns, city officials confirmed Monday. A GoFundMe page aims to help the family pay for her funeral expenses.
Authorities said two homes were damaged in the blaze.
Following unrelated bill signings on Monday, Gov. Josh Green commented on the fire response.
"After going through the wildfire in Lahaina, everyone is hyper-sensitized to what could happen," he said. "People were very aware of the winds. They were aware of getting extra support quite quickly. I received a call from Rep. [Darius] Kila right off the bat, and he was great. It’s just everyone was all hands on deck quickly because we didn’t want this to drift with the winds."
Kila was among lawmakers who took it to Instagram to inform the community with live updates. In the days since, he has shared resources for those affected by the fire, including HECO damage claim information and mental health services by Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center.
The American Red Cross Pacific Islands Region has closed the two emergency shelters that were opened temporarily for residents. The nonprofit said on Instagram that those displaced or directly impacted may call 1-800-RED-CROS (800-733-2767) to request help.
"We are infinitely more prepared as a result of the commission that did its work. We’ve also been putting more fire breaks in. [The state Department of Transportation] has been working with [the state Department of Land and Natural Resources], been working with the counties," the governor said. "We also, this time, for the first time ever, had a fire marshal on the chain of command and the communication chain. That helped a lot, too. We have layer upon layer upon layer of reinforcement. ... I was very proud of the team. I’m grateful there was not a great deal of property loss. We do know that there was one serious casualty, as you know, and there’s still some investigations to undertake."
Green last month appointed Dori Booth as Hawai‘i’s new state fire marshal, reviving the public safety position the state said had been vacant for nearly 46 years. An announcement from his office at that time noted that the original Office of the State Fire Marshal was abolished in 1978 with its responsibilities devolved to the counties on July 1, 1979.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
A GoFundMe page has been created for the Ahuna family, which lost their dog, home and event business equipment, in the blaze this past weekend. As of Tuesday, the fundraiser had raised more than $59,000 toward its $250,000 goal.
"The Ahuna family has always opened their hearts – and their home to our community," organizer Sarah Leong wrote on the page. Their ranch was never just a piece of land; it was a place of gathering, healing, celebration and aloha."
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Aloha State Daily Senior Reporter Stephanie Salmons contributed to this article.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
