Hanapepe brush fire 60% contained, 1,000 acres burned

HANAPEPE, Kauai (KHON2) — Firefighters, DPW and private landowners are uniting to fight a brush fire west of Moi Road, in Hanapepe.

KPD received the initial call just before noon.

The brush fire, initially estimated at 28 acres, is being fought with tankers, Air 1 and Air 2, and a dozer.

An evacuation notice was issued for residents in Kaumakani around 2:50 p.m. due to the fire, which officials said was moving fast.

KPD closed Kaumualiʻi Highway between Lele Road and Thrifty Mart in Kaumakani.

Kaumuali‘i Highway is also closed from Lele Road to Kaumakani near Aloha Sweet Delites.

The Kauai Emergency Management Agency are monitoring the situation.

“We are evacuating residents of the Kama County area. The emergency shelter that’s designated is at Waimea High School cafeteria. So we are asking that if you’re not a resident of Kama County, to please understand that that emergency shelters designated for Kama County residents that had to be evacuated, for parents who may be worried about their children at the Summer fund program, please don’t worry, our team will be out there with those children until the highway reopens, or until parents can pick up their children, so they will have adults and they will be safe at those West Kauai summer fund programs as well,” Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said. “Kauai bus has been evacuating people. As far as the evacuation operation, we sent out a mass notification. Did our sirens, we had KPD and PMRF personnel walking door to door to make sure that residents were evacuating,”

According to KIUC, its de-energizing its transmission lines from Kaumakani to Mana due to the fire in Hanapepe. Residents served by those lines will be without of power until further notice.

DOE has opened shelter at Waimea High School.

Kauai Police Dispatch ask the community not to call 9-1-1 for updates. Only call for emergency services.

The Kauai Bus is evacuating people near Aloha Sweet Delites.

Due to a road closure on Kaumuali‘i Highway and the brush fire response, Summer Fun staff will continue to be at the Kekaha, Kalaheo, and Hanapepe locations with the participants until the highway reopens.

The Department of Water (DOW) has issued a water conservation notice for customers from Hanapepe to Kekaha until further notice. Customers are advised to limit water use to avoid water outage.

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DOH encourages impacted residents to be aware of their surrounding conditions. It is important to take action to protect against smoke exposure.

Person with asthma should prepare for poor air quality conditions due to the fire. It is advised to have an evacuation plan and kit of emergency supplies, including asthma medications. If evacuation is unnecessary, designate a room closed off from the outside air.

For more information and an Asthma Action Plan, visit their website.

Update as of 6:25 p.m. on Monday

KIUC has de-energized power lines in Hanapepe, Kaumakani and Pakala. As of 6:30 p.m., Kekaha, Mana and Kokee will also be de-energized.

In order to support Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital and the established emergency shelter at the Waimea Gym, power is being preserved at Waimea. KIUC is advising residents to conserve power.

Crews will need to inspect the de-energized area before power can be fully restored. Extended outages can occur.

Outage preparedness tips, according to KIUC:

• Protect your appliances and sensitive equipment from power outages and surges that may occur because of bad weather by using surge protectors.
• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary appliances or equipment.
• Keep a portable battery-powered radio and flashlights on hand with extra batteries.
• In case of loss of power, when the power comes back on and is steady, gradually plug in your appliances.

Update as of 8:45 p.m., Monday

According to KFD, 60 percent of the fires are contained at this time.

Fire officials confirmed one structure destroyed by the fire in Kaumakani Camp. No injuries were reported.

Two shelters are currently open — at Waimea High School and at Hanapepe Neighborhood Center.

• If you are west of the Makaweli Post Office road closure and need shelter, head to Waimea High School cafeteria.
• If you are east of the Hanapēpē road closure and need shelter, head to Hanapēpē Neighborhood Center.

There are approximately 120 people at Waimea and 30 in Hanapepe.

Approximately 1,100 are currently without of power as Kekaha, Mana, Hanapepe, Kaumakani, Pakala and Kokee were de-energized.

Waimea will remain powered. Residents are encouraged to conserve power.

Members without power should expect extended outage, according to KIUC.

No evacuation orders are in place for the Hanapepe Heights area.

Update as of 9:30 p.m. on Monday

Kaumuali‘i Highway, between Lele Road in Hanapepe and Kaumakani near Aloha Sweet Delites is now open for one lane of alternating traffic. Motorist are advised to drive with caution.

Evacuation notice for Kaumakani remains in place Monday evening. Kauai PD completed door-to-door evacuations of over 200 homes.

Authorities continue to respond to the Kaumakani brush fire. The fire has burned an area estimated at 1,000 acres between Hanapepe and Kaumakani.