"Firefighters are battling a brush fire in the vicinity of Hawaii Community College — Palamanui. (Graham Milldrum/West Hawaii Today)"
Hawaii Community College at Palamanui had a recent wildfire scare and took the right precaution of evacuating early and advising the public to avoid the area. Thanks to efforts by our firefighting partners, the blaze was kept away from important resources. Another close call, but this is only the beginning of what will be a very busy El Nino-driven wildfire period.
"The blaze was roughly arrowhead-shaped, with the point headed toward the mauka forested area. The sides expanded slowly, often burning against the wind. With the plan reliant on the bulldozers and helicopters, the firefighters were largely limited to monitoring the blaze.
The fire was almost exclusively fed by fountaingrass, some of which effectively cylinders of vegetation four feet tall and four feet across. The fire could be seen jumping from bush to bush as it advanced."