Fast-moving brush fire on Hawaii's Maui island evacuates about 50 people. No structures have burned
Share this @internewscast.com

HONOLULU (AP) — Fierce winds propelled a rapidly spreading brush fire in Hawaii, necessitating the evacuation of approximately 50 residents on Maui’s opposite side from where a catastrophic fire resulted in over 100 fatalities two years prior.

The fire started Sunday in a sparsely populated area with land set aside for Native Hawaiians.

Here’s what we know about the fire so far:

Fire size now estimated at 330 acres

The Kahikinui blaze was initially estimated at 500 acres (202 hectares), but further aerial surveys overnight revised the size to approximately 330 acres (134 hectares), according to Maui’s fire department. The fire is 85% contained.

Due to the remote and challenging terrain, accurately assessing the fire’s size proved difficult, as stated by the department. A police drone identified hot spots, although none escalated during the night.

No injuries or structural damage was reported. Weather conditions were mostly sunny Monday with a high of 67 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius) and east winds of about 15 mph (24 kph), gusting up to about 25 mph (40 kph).

The U.S. Drought Monitor says all of Maui is in drought.

Authorities conducted door-to-door evacuations and part of a highway remains closed.

Flashbacks to an earlier fire

Warren Aganos was on his family’s Hawaiian Homelands lot preparing to go on a Father’s Day hunt when a neighbor called him around 9 a.m. telling him a fire had broken out.

“I hung up and raced out, I didn’t let her finish,” said Aganos, who has been slowly rebuilding the three structures his family lost in a 2016 brush fire that burned over 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) in the same area. “I was thinking about the last one,” he said. “It was super emotional.”

Aganos said he rushed in his truck to make sure first responders knew where the community’s water storage tanks were before navigating Kahikinui’s dirt roads down to the highway where he could see smoke billowing over the hillside. The community lacks electrical and water infrastructure, and some of the roads are only navigable by four-wheel drive.

State and local leaders signed emergency proclamations so that the Hawaii National Guard can help and counties can access assistance.

What is the region like?

Kahikinui is less populated and developed than Lahaina, which was the Hawaiian Kingdom’s capital in the 1800s and is now a popular tourist destination. Kahikinui was used for cattle ranching for many years and is near a state forest reserve.

The fire department sent engines, tankers and a helicopter to battle the blaze. Three bulldozers cut firebreaks in the lower part of the community, Desiree Graham, co-chair of Kahikinui’s firewise committee, said.

The area has 104 Hawaiian homeland lots of 10 to 20 acres (4 to 8 hectares) each. About 40 lots have homes, including 15 with full-time residents. Some lots have more than one home, Graham said.

A state agency issues lot leases under a program Congress created in 1921 to help Native Hawaiians become economically self-sufficient. Those with at least 50% Hawaiian blood quantum can apply for a 99-year lease for $1 a year.

Fire devastated Lahaina nearly two years ago

Maui is still recovering from the massive inferno that enveloped Lahaina in August 2023.

That fire was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century. It destroyed thousands of properties and caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage. University of Hawaii researchers say unemployment and poverty rose after the blaze.

The Kahikinui fire may seem small compared to continental U.S. fires, but it’s significant for an island of 735 square miles (1,903 square kilometers).

Other Western fires

Crews also are battling wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, around the Great Basin, in California and the Rockies.

National Weather Service forecasters and federal land managers have warned in recent weeks that fire danger is escalating in many places amid rising daytime temperatures and single-digit humidity levels.

The risks won’t start to wane — at least in the southwestern U.S. — until the monsoon starts to kick in, bringing much-needed rain. In southern New Mexico, a wildfire ballooned to nearly 30 square miles (78 square kilometers) over the weekend in the Gila National Forest.

The flames forced the evacuations of homes that dot the mountains north of Silver City, blocked access to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and prompted air quality warnings as smoke drifted north. Campgrounds and access points to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail also were closed.

In Oregon, several dozen homes in Wasco County were destroyed by a fire that started last Wednesday. Some evacuations remained, but fire managers said Monday that the threat to structures had diminished.

So far this year, the nation has seen double the number of fires as last year but the acreage is less, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 2,700 wildland firefighters and support personnel were assigned to 15 large wildfires across the country.

—-

This story has been corrected to show that 40 of the 104 lots in Kahikinui have homes on them, including 15 with full-time residents, and some lots have more than one home. It has also been corrected to reflect that Congress created the Hawaiian homelands program in 1921, not 1920.

___

McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire, and Thiessen from Anchorage, Alaska. Associated Press journalists Susan Montoya Bryant in Albuquerque and Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego also contributed.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Judge orders Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops, arrests in California

Court Mandates Trump Administration to Cease Random Immigration Checks and Arrests in California

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge on Friday commanded the Trump administration…
Intel Official Busted for Selling Top Secret Info to Foreign Nation Because He Was ‘Disturbed’ by Trump

Report: Kash Patel Stays Put Due to Leading Significant Russiagate Inquiry

Many experts believed that the Attorney General had made significant promises but…
QB Jake Retzlaff breaks silence on leaving BYU after rape accusation

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff Speaks Out on Departure from BYU Following Rape Allegations

Jake Retzlaff, a former BYU quarterback, addressed his departure from the university…
Alan Dershowitz Drops Bombshells, Says There Is in Fact an Epstein Client List—and He Knows Who's on It

Alan Dershowitz Reveals Shocking News: Confirms the Existence of an Epstein Client List and Claims to Know Who’s Included

Many observers were left dissatisfied with the conclusions, as the department had…
Group of friends celebrating with sparklers and drinks at night.

Secret Drones Could Lead to $100k Fines for July 4 Celebrations in America

AMERICANS could be slapped with fines up to $100,000 depending on how…
2025 Illinois measles cases: Health officials declare end of outbreak in southern Illinois

Southern Illinois Measles Outbreak Concludes: Health Officials Announce in 2025

CHICAGO (WLS) — Health officials in Illinois declared an end to an…
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron shaking hands at a press conference.

Concerns Rise Over UK’s Potential Dilemma as France Chooses Which Migrants Are Returned Under New Exchange Deal

FRANCE will have the option to select which migrants to accept under…
Shanna Gardner's onto jailhouse snitches, even murderers and human traffickers

Shanna Gardner Targets Informants in Jail, Including Killers and Human Traffickers

On May 23, Gardner’s legal team submitted a motion requesting a court…
Geoengineering Whistleblower Shanahan Reveals Truth

Shanahan, the Geoengineering Whistleblower, Unveils the Truth

Nicole Shanahan, RFK Jr.’s running mate, shares whistleblower details exposing ongoing U.S.…
Kendra G, Raven Smith join Windy City Weekend; Val and Ryan talk Bud Billiken Parade, Windy City Smokeout, new movies

Kendra G and Raven Smith Team Up on ‘Windy City Weekend’; Val and Ryan Discuss Bud Billiken Parade, Windy City Smokeout, and Upcoming Movies.

CHICAGO (WLS) — On Friday morning, Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini invited…
Mandatory evacuation orders in effect as 1,000-acre wildfire threatens Grand Canyon's North Rim

Evacuation Orders Issued as 1,000-Acre Wildfire Nears Grand Canyon’s North Rim

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is temporarily closed as mandatory…
Darius Miles set for trial Dec. 1 in Tuscaloosa shooting

Darius Miles’ Trial for Tuscaloosa Shooting Scheduled for December 1

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles is scheduled to…