"Homeowners keep an eye on the brush fire south of Kaiminani Dr. on Saturday. Laura Shimabuku/West Hawaii Today"
Residents in Kona's holiday was dampened by an afternoon brush fire that took a community effort to help put out. Access to wildland areas can be a real difficulty on the windy, steep roads on the mauka side of Kona. The community can be a big help to firefighters by assisting them in whatever they say they need.
"Instead of enjoying the holiday, homeowners spent the afternoon inhaling smoke, soaking yards and roofs and keeping an eye on the fire as it moved mauka through open brush, leaving smoldering areas. Some residents reported packing photo albums and other personal belongings in their cars, preparing to leave if necessary.
Workers building a Wainani Street house for Neil Vieth used a Bobcat to cut a fire line and manned the south edge of the property with buckets and garden hoses.
“'As the fire went up the back wall, guys were saving houses one by one,' Ferguson said. 'It was the whole community here.'”