|
DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES News Release LINDA LINGLE GOVERNOR _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
LAURA H. THIELEN, INTERIM CHAIRPERSON
Phone: (808) 587-0401
Fax: (808) 587-0390
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
For Immediate Release:
|
HONOLULU -- The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and the Honolulu Fire Department, assisted by the Federal Fire Agency, today continued to fight the Waialua wildfire under unified command. By 6 p.m. tonight the fire was called 65% contained according to fire officials. The Waialua fire has consumed approximately 6,700 acres of land since it began on Sunday. Firefighting operations will continue through tomorrow with air and ground crews working. Today there were 9 engines, 4 water tenders, 2 brush trucks, 6 helicopters and 66 firefighters combating the Waialua fire. Light winds and high humidity worked in favor of the firefighting forces today. Up to 9 helicopters have been employed to drop water on the fire’s different fronts. DLNR’s Forestry division is being assisted in suppression efforts by two Hawaii National Guard CH-47 and two hired private helicopters. The U.S. Army Environmental Program has hired two private helicopters. The Honolulu Fire Department has two helicopters on the blaze. The Honolulu Police Department also sent its helicopter to drop water on the fire today. Air operations were directed by the Honolulu Fire Department. Steep terrain and inaccessibility to the most critical portions of the fire have hampered the progress of fire extinguishment. All efforts are to contain the fire spread from impacting life and property as well as natural resource areas. Firefighters today also contained a smaller, separate fire started in the Ka‘ena Point State Park last night. It was located about one mile toward the point from the end of the paved road. DLNR’s enforcement division cleared people out of the state park and the point’s natural area reserve, for their safety, and closed the road at the end of the pavement. The Honolulu Fire Department and Federal Fire Agency responded to contain this fire with 7 companies and used air support from six helicopters from the nearby Waialua fire. The park fire burned about 300 acres, including an area where DLNR’s Forestry division had established populations of the endangered native plants, Abutillon menziesii and Sesbania tomentosa. DLNR land being threatened by the larger Waialua fire is located in the Waianae mountain range, within the Mokuleia Forest Reserve, Kuaokala Forest Reserve, and Pahole Natural Area Reserve. These reserves total 5,248 acres combined. These areas were closed yesterday by DLNR for public safety. As of late this afternoon fewer than 1,000 acres had burned within the state’s Mokuleia Forest Reserve. The fire has not yet entered the Kuaokala Forest Reserve or Pahole Natural Area Reserve, but these areas are threatened. DLNR is concerned for the forest plants and especially the threatened and endangered species in the Waianae range forest reserves. The firet has burned through several threatened and endangered plant communities were that were being conserved and reintroduced into forest habitats by the U.S. Army Environmental Program. These include the largest wild population of the state flower(Hibiscus brackenridgeii), as well as two culturally significant endangered native hardwood trees, uhiuhi (Caesalpinia kavaiensis) and kauila (Colubrina oppositifolia) which were used by ancient Hawaiians to make weapons and tools. DOFAW and Army Environmental Program personnel will be making an assessment of the extent of the loss once the fire is extinguished and they are able to enter the reserves.
For more information, contact: |
