A view of the burned land around the main heiau at Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site. The National Park Service said the building suffered no apparent damage. National Park Service photo
The large Kawaihae Fire that burned from makai to mauka with swirling winds continues to burn upslope. Stay tuned to updates from Civil Defense - flare-ups are always a possibility so it's important to stay vigilant!
Thankfully, our communities were spared from major damage and although the Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site lost much of its vegetation, including native plants, we're happy to hear that the actual heiau structures were left unscathed.
"'Puukohola Heiau, the massive stone temple where King Kamehameha the Great launched his successful quest to unite the Hawaiian Islands in 1810, did not sustain any damage in the fire, nor did the older Mailekini Heiau below it. The homestead site of British sailor John Young, who served as King Kamehameha’s adviser, also appears unscathed,' the NPS wrote in a press release.
The fire burned 90 percent of the native and non-native vegetation of the 80-acre park.
The brush fire came within 'a few feet of the visitor’s center and park headquarters,' the NPS wrote, but firefighters halted it. Both lack phone and Internet service, but the visitor center still has water and electricity."