Credit: Anthony Procter / Contributed to Hawaii News Now
Agricultural lands that are turning fallow are a major contributor to the increase in wildfire activity across the state, especially on Maui. Access was very limited due to overgrown and narrow dirt roads. Keeping lands active and managed can help firefighters in a number of ways, including having access roads maintained, reducing large areas of flammable vegetation, and having extra fire suppression equipment on the scene.
From the Source:
"According to Maui fire officials, firefighters were dispatched around 1:40 p.m. to an area mauka of Kahekili Highway between Makaala Drive and Waiehu Beach Road.
Heavy smoke was seen in the area as narrow dirt roads and over-grown brush made it difficult for crews to access the flames.
Once they reached the fire, crews worked into the night to fully extinguish the flames. It was fully extinguished just after 5 p.m., and deemed 100 percent contained just after 11 p.m."