News Center
Manawainui Gulch on Molokai where the recent fire occurred.
From the Source:
A brush fire reported near Molokaʻi’s Manawainui Bridge on Tuesday appears to have been sparked by a high voltage power line. Maui fire officials say the line had been severed and fell to the ground.
"A Hawaii County firefighter douses a brush fire off Highway 190 near mile marker 18 Friday afternoon." Laura Ruminski / West Hawaii Today
Mahalo to the good Samaritan who put out the first fire -- keeping a fire extinguisher in your vehicle is highly recommended.
The Hawaii Police Department said it is investigating the fires and thinks fireworks started the blazes.
Anyone with information or who might have witnessed the fires being started is urged to call Detective Carrie Akina at 326-4646, ext. 277.
From the Source:
Fireworks appear to have sparked three brush fires reported within an hour Friday that forced a road closure on Highway 190 near Puuanahulu.
The blazes were ignited at mile markers 18, 21 and 26, starting shortly after 11 a.m., according to Hawaii Fire Department officials.
The first was put out by Stafford Lombard, who was driving by on his way to Hilo.
Fire officials say Lombard got out of his car and used a fire extinguisher. The driver of a cement mixer truck stopped to assist and smothered the remaining flames with a hose. Firefighters came and mopped up.
The brushfire occurred near Asing Community Park in Ewa Beach
From the Source:
Firefighters responded to a brush fire in Ewa Beach on Saturday afternoon.
About 10 acres have been scorched by the blaze near Asing Community Park off Renton Road, according to officials. Firefighters arrived on the scene around 12:34 p.m. and were able to fully contain the flames at 9:50 p.m.
"Honolulu fire responded to a brush fire in Waimea Valley on Tuesday. (Image: Sunny Platt)"
From the Source:
As many as three acres have been burned in a brush fire in Waimea Valley on Tuesday evening, according to Honolulu fire officials.
Fire crews coordinated several air drops in an attempt to extinguish as many "hot spots" as they could in the area. Between 2.5 and three acres were burned in the blaze, according to HFD.
Credit: KITV4
Last year, a string of brushfires threatened communities in Kamilonui Valley and Mariner's Cove spurring them to work with HWMO on becoming one of the first Firewise Communities on Oahu. This year, they may see more fires like this one again, but a group of residents and community leaders are taking action to spread awareness and reduce the fire risk. On June 23, the Firewise committee in Kamilonui-Mariner's Cove will hold a work day to remove flammable vegetation from along bordering wildland areas.
From the Source:
"A brush fire broke out in the Honokai Hale area Wednesday morning, the fire has since been extinguished.
Though the impact the fire had on traffic was brutal. All westbound lanes were closed on Farrington Highway at La'aloa Street."
“Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization's Pablo Beimler, right explains the effects of wildfires to Connections Public Charter School students Friday at Pohakuloa Training Area's Earth Day. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)”
From the Source:
All students from all schools, as well as the general public, were invited to the military training area for the opportunity to see how PTA cares for the multitude of resources within the 210-square-mile area, he said.
“We want to educate people on what we do take care of the resources,” he said.
According to Marquez, the Army’s contracted Natural and Cultural Resources Program has more than 40 staffers who monitor 26 threatened and endangered species and more than 1,200 cultural sites.
In addition to PTA’s stations, about a dozen local businesses and organizations — including Bike Works, Blue Planet Research, W.M. Keck Observatory and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization — took part.
"Volunteers remove invasive plants at summit of Haleakalā." Credit: Haleakalā NP.
Aloha friends visiting or living in Maui, here is a great way to care for the ʻāina with our friends from the National Park Service and the Pacific Whale Foundation, while also reducing the wildfire risk in Haleakalā.
From the Source:
The next Waele ma Haleakalā will occur this Saturday, April 7, 2018. Since April of last year, Waele ma Haleakalā volunteers have pulled 6,342 invasive pines and almost 2,500 invasive plants.
Volunteers will physically remove young pine trees and other small invasive plants from the Summit District. Transportation, training, hand tools, gloves, and other equipment will be provided. Please sign up by 7:30 a.m. on Friday, April 6, 2018, by contacting the Pacific Whale Foundation at (808) 249-8811. Space is limited to 11 volunteers.
"Dedicated Makai Watch Volunteer James Heacock (clipboard) has been doing surveys for 10 years. Here, he surveys the coast with fisherman Kawika Auld." Photo courtesy of Christine Shepard
What does it take to protect an entire watershed? Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration. Great feature in Ke Ola Magazine highlighting South Kohala Coastal Partnership efforts - we are proud to be a part of such a solid partnership!
From the Source:
The South Kohala Coastal Partnership is composed of over 70 participants including 30 state and local experts such as biologists, kūpuna, cultural practitioners, teachers, fishermen, coastal business owners, land managers, resort representatives, and more. Together they tackle everything from land-based sources of pollution, to unsustainable fishing practices, to invasive species. Community participation has provided essential people-power for data collection and projects supporting this work.
The reefs located at the bottom of Kohala Mountain reflect what happens at higher elevations. Over the centuries, events such as the historic harvest of sandalwood, the introduction of species like goats, overgrazing by cattle, fires, and floods have converted much of the once-forested mountain into grassland and denuded landscapes. Without roots, ferns, and mosses to catch and hold the heavy rains, acres of bare soil wash downstream. This erosion buries corals in sediment and reduces the reef’s once-rich diversity of fish and invertebrates. Did you know that each grain of sediment can be re-suspended 10,000 times by waves, blocking light and re-smothering coral over and over? Agencies like The Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization and The Kohala Center are working in partnership with landowners and ranchers to reduce this impact up-slope.
Officer Conrad Bidal (L) Firefighter/EMT Kainoa Willey (R). Credit: Hawaii 24/7
Kainoa is also an amazing musician - he and our project assistant, Tom Loomis, played hours of sweet tunes for our Denny's Fundraiser in 2015! Congratulations Firefighter Willey and Officer Bidal from all of us at Hawaii Wildfire.
From the Source:
Firefighter Willey is honored for his outstanding work as a Firefighter/EMT in West Hawaiʻi, but what sets him apart is his initiative in volunteering for several community projects sponsored by the Hawaiʻi Fire Department including spearheading numerous fundraising efforts for Fire Department Personnel in need of financial assistance due to illness, injury, or traumatic events.
Mahalo to Big Island Now and West Hawaii Today for publishing information on our upcoming Hawaii Wildfire Summit.
From the Source:
Since wildfires are such a wide-spanning issue that affect communities, lands, and waters, the solutions require everyone playing a proactive role. The Hawai‘i Wildfire Summit is a unique opportunity to learn, share, and collaborate with others who deal with wildfire in their work and communities across Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
This year’s theme is “Collaborating Across Hawaii and the Pacific for Summit to Sea Wildfire Protection.”
Presentations and workshops that one would otherwise have to attend on the mainland U.S. will also be a highlight of the event, offering a local option to connect to national-level programs, research and trainings.
Click above to view video.
Don't let the green grass deceive you! Even during the "wet season," wildfires can ignite and spread quickly. Stay alert and have a plan. Make sure to keep those grasses and weeds that are growing with all the rain away from your house. Learn more by checking out the Ready, Set, Go! Wildland Fire Action Guide.
From the Source:
"All the traffic going the other way, so we can sit in traffic going back and try to get through Waialua or we can sit here and at least see what's going on," motorist Leslie Maxwell said.
The fire burned pretty close to the edge of Kamehameha Highway. Because of the wind conditions, fire officials were worried the fire was going to jump the road.
"The trade winds were going this way when we first arrived on scene, so the perimeter along Kamehameha Highway was burning. It was in danger of jumping Kamehameha Highway, but the wind shifted and it started burning the opposite direction so it worked in our favor," Battalion Chief Paul Kato said.
Fire officials say several abandoned vehicles and debris within homeless camps in the area were damaged in the fire.
"Hawaii Fire Department quickly extinguished three brush fires along Waikoloa Road and Route 190 Monday morning. Police believe the fires to be suspicious." Credit: Judy Wilder / West Hawaii Today
"The first fire occurred on Route 190 near mile marker 12. according to the release, fire personnel were able to quickly extinguish it. The flames consumed approximately 1,000 square feet.
The second brush fire was discovered on the south side of Waikoloa Road near mile marker 10, which crews quickly extinguished. About a 50-foot area was burned.
The last blaze discovered was also on the south side of Waikoloa Road near Uluwehi Street. It destroyed approximately 1,000 square feet."
"Anyone who witnessed the cause of the fires or with information about the blazes is asked to contact Det. Carrie Akina, via email at Carrie.Akina@hawaiicounty.gov, or call at 326-4646 ext. 277.
The department also encourages community members to be aware of the recent fires, especially in the areas of Waikoloa Road and Route 190, and to report any suspicious activity in the area immediately to police at 935-3311."
Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash
HWMO believes strongly in the importance of working together as a pathway for communities to become more resilient in the face of growing wildfires in Hawaii and the Western Pacific. We use national frameworks such as Firewise Communities, Fire Adapted Communities, ReadySetGo!, and Western Cohesive Strategy and apply them at the local level to bring neighbors together.
The science is there to back this up, too! A research team from Northeastern University has found that post-disaster anxiety from recent climate-related disasters was reduced solely because of social ties. "Individuals who had more friends, neighbors, and relatives nearby did far better than more isolated people," said Dr. Daniel Aldrich, professor and director of the Security and Resilience Program at Northeastern.
"TG: How can people become more resilient?
DA: To become more resilient, my team and I have put together a package of policies that we're encouraging neighborhoods and communities around the world (e.g. Wellington, NZ, Cambridge, MA, San Francisco, CA, etc.) to try out. These include strengthening ties with neighbors, holding regular community events, engaging citizens in every planning and zoning event possible, creating local communities, and building spaces that encourage social interaction."
"Shown in this image is a California-hazel-stem basket holding tanoak acorns that were collected from the 2015 Klamath River Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) burn area. Also shown is a Karuk woman’s “work” basket cap and an acorn cooking paddle made of Pacific maple. These are a few of the resources used by Karuk women to gather and prepare acorn soup. This burn reduced acorn pests, cleared out surface and ladder fuels to improved acorn gathering, and maintained the tanoak cavity at the base of this older tree. Cavities like this are important habitat for animals that hunt small game that eat acorns. "
Credit: Frank Lake, USDA Forest Service and Karuk Tribe.
In Hawaii, traditional ecological knowledge plays a critical role in the path forward towards more resilient and vibrant landscapes and communities. For example, restoring native dryland plants that are culturally significant along watersheds and even around your own home, helps to also reduce fire threats and impacts to our communities, lands, and waters. Hawaii is not alone in integrating traditional ecological knowledge with fire adaptation, there are many other great examples globally, including in the mainland U.S.:
From the Source:
"The Karuk Tribe’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and belief systems are constructed and preserved in the form of stories, practices, performances and ongoing interactions with the natural world. Among such rituals include our World Renewal Ceremonies, which the Karuk Tribe has practiced since time immemorial. These ceremonies have been passed down for millennia, and are a key part of our local communities’ social fabric. They link human practices like fishing, hunting and gathering to responsibility. They also ceremonially align our culture with ecosystem process and function. In our worldview, cultural resources have a life, as do the people using them. Each life deserves consideration when planning projects, including fire adaptation projects."
"Santa Barbara County Fire search dog Reilly looks for people trapped in the debris left by devastating mudslides in Montecito, California." Credit: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire
As we keep all those affected by the mudslides and flooding in California in our thoughts, we should note that post-fire flooding can impact islands in the Pacific, as well. The characteristics that lead to these events are similar whether in California or in Hawaii.
From the Source:
"Also called post-fire debris flows, these mudslides form when water rushing down slopes picks up dirt, burnt trees, rocks, and other debris (like cars), reaching speeds of more than 35 miles per hour. “When you mix a lot of mud, water, and boulders, it certainly can be quite catastrophic,” says Dennis Staley, a scientist with the US Geological Survey Landslide Hazards Program. The slurries can start with almost no warning after as little as a third of an inch of rain in just 30 minutes — especially on slopes scorched by fires. After fires blazed across more than half a million acres this fall in California’s worst fire season on record, it’s not hard to find burnt land."
Fire makes slopes more susceptible to mudslides for a few reasons, according to climate scientist Daniel Swain’s Weather West blog. For one thing, flames can strip hillsides of plants that would otherwise anchor the dirt in place. Extreme fires that burn through thick vegetation can also physically change the soil — leaving behind a layer of water-repellant dirt near the surface. That layer acts like a raincoat, slicking off water that can then form mudslides, according to the USGS California Water Science Center.
Plus, without plants to slow the rain before it reaches the dirt, the soil can’t absorb as much water — leaving more to race down hillsides as runoff. Imagine the soil as coffee grounds in a filter: if you pour your boiling water slowly, it will soak into the grounds and drip through into your cup. But if you dump your boiling water all at once, a watery, muddy slurry will overflow. That’s what’s happening on the bare slopes of Southern California right now."
"A Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy alerts a Kagel Canyon resident of mandatory evacuations on January 8, 2018 in the Creek Fire burn area." Credit: LA County Sheriff's Office
Whether in Hawaii or California, post-fire erosion and flooding is a big deal. For example, the 2016 floods in Maui after an explosive fire season created massive plumes of soil, debris, trash, oil, and other pollutants along the shorelines. We are crossing our fingers that the post-fire flood threat in California this week will spare all homes and people in its path and have minimal damage throughout the watersheds.
From the Source:
"The mandatory evacuation order was issued for unincorporated parts of Santa Barbara County, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria, the county said. Areas along Tecolote Canyon, Eagle Canyon, Dos Pueblos Canyon, Gato Canyon, and Whittier burn areas near Goleta were also included in that order."
“This is the first significant rain the area has had in some time, it’s the first where they’ve had to be concerned about the fire scarred areas of the hills,” he added. Lucksinger said flooding and mudslides were always a concern in the foothills and mountains “when rain comes down quickly in a short amount of time like that.”
Credit: Hawaii News Now
Every year, fireworks pose a danger to safety due to injury and from fires, including brushfires. Thanks to vigilant neighbors, a little bit of luck, and hard-working first responders, the worst case scenario was averted. A brushfire did threaten homes in Hawaii Kai. HWMO is working closely with residents in Kamilonui-Mariner's Cove to help them become the first Firewise Community on Oahu.
From the Source:
"We dodged a bullet," said Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Scot Seguirant, in a news conference on Monday.
"Last year was a bad year. This year has been better, but how many fires were not reported is another question. And then quick actions from neighbors, putting out fires ... is what really saved us this year."
"A brush fire in Hawaii Kai was put out quickly, but at one point, the flames were inching closer to homes at the top of a ridge."
"Firefighters from the Governors Office of Emergency Services monitor the advance of smoke and flames from the Thomas Fire, Dec. 16, 2017 in Montecito, Calif." Credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
From the Source:
"The Thomas fire, which has killed two and destroyed more than a thousand structures in Southern California, could become the largest wildfire in the state’s history as the monster inferno continues to grow.
The Thomas fire has burned steadily since Dec. 4, and authorities say it could take weeks to fully contain. It has reduced at least 1,026 homes and business to ashes and damaged more than 240 others.
It was 45 percent contained as of Sunday evening as about 8,530 firefighters from about 100 different crews battled the blaze. Officials estimated that firefighters won’t achieve full containment until Jan 7."
"The Thomas Fire burns on a bluff in La Conchita, California, on Dec. 7, 2017. Many evacuation holdouts were forced to flee the small seaside town as the flames approached.
Strong Santa Ana winds rapidly spread multiple wildfires across tens of thousands of acres, destroying hundreds of homes and other buildings.
CREDIT: Mario Tama / Getty Images
Our hearts are heavy today with the sad news of the death of a Calfire firefighter who bravely fought alongside many other firefighters on the massive Thomas Fire burning in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's loved ones.
From the Source:
"A firefighter died Thursday while working a colossal wildfire burning in coastal mountains northwest of Los Angeles that has become the fourth largest in California history.
CBS Los Angeles reports the victim was a Cal Fire engineer who worked for the department's San Diego unit. The death, but no details of the circumstances, was confirmed in a statement from Chief Ken Pimlott of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection."
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of protection.””
