Hawai’i Fire Department, Federal Fire Hawai’i and Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, continue to fight the wildland fire near Kunia Camp on Kunia Road that prompted an evacuation Tuesday afternoon, according to a HFD Facebook post Wednesday afternoon. The fire was 60% contained spanning 600 acres and evacuation orders for Kunia Camp and Kunia Headstart School were lifted before 6 p.m.
“Air assets, including HFD's twin-engine Bell 429, DOFAW and Army National Guard, are making water drops,” the post read. “No injuries have been reported and no structures have been impacted.”
Kunia Loa Ridge Farmlands resident and former manager Helio Arana saw the smoke and rushed to it, arriving to Lot 99 minutes after it started, he told Aloha State Daily on Wednesday.
“There were really, really strong winds, so once it reached the mountain, the fire exploded,” he said. “It was pretty intense. I was nervous, but it was exciting to see the efforts by the first responders, military and the excellent air team. They really are heroes.”
Arana, who previously served as the property manager for nine years, also jumped in to help. He directed the ground firefighters to access roads in front of the flames and notified neighbors on the north-end lot to secure their farm animals.
"They don’t know the area as well as I do, so I told them to go toward that gate to get in front of it," he said. "I felt I had a responsibility to be there and I wanted to be there to help in any way that I could."
He says the neighborhood is a "beautiful farming community" that grows fruits and produce. His lot has mangoes and seven different kinds of banana trees, he said.
“Last night, the whole mountain was red, maybe a mile long going up the mountain,” he noted. “It was about two to three football fields away from my farm – so close we could hear the crackling. Once it reached the mountain and those trees, the fire exploded."
The danger now, he said, is if the fire reignites and comes down the mountain toward Waiʻanae. “We have to keep on it.”
Arana added, “We appreciate the response. HFD got there quick, the coordination with the helicopters and the spotters was something I’ve never seen before. Real quick response from the authorities, so I commend them and want to thank them for being there. We need them. Otherwise, it would have burnt the north side of our farm, guarantee.”
Arana said the last fire in Kunia he remembers was about four years ago. Plus, “because of what happened in Maui, they had do to something." Since wildfires continue to occur across the Islands, he suggests Hawaiʻi invests in the Super Scooper aircrafts he’s seen used in California.
When asked about today’s conditions, he noted, “It’s still pretty windy. At night, the wind died down, so that helped.
“Today mother nature did its part and helped with some sprinkling. That was a blessing.”
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
