Around 7:00pm Thursday night fire fighters were called to a brushfire along Kamehameha Highway in Wahiawa near Poamoho Camp.
Crews were able to quickly get the 3 acre blaze under control within an hour and prevent the fire from threatening any buildings.
It was only the latest in a string of fires that flared up across Oahu.
Around 4:00pm residents reported seeing smoke on the hillside above their homes on Kahena street in Hawaii Kai. Crews fought the fire on foot and by air.
"The terrain, the position of the fire is on the middle of the ridge. It’s uneven terrain and difficult to access, it’s not an easy pumping operation," said Capt. Terry Seelig, Honolulu Fire Department.
The fire came within 100-feet of some homes, but wind helped to keep the blaze at bay.
"The fire isn’t a threat to any homes, it hasn’t caused any damage," said Capt. Seelig.
The fire burned close to five acres before crews had it contained around 7:00.
Hours earlier, a brushfire flared-up near Haleiwa Beach road around 11:00am. The fast-moving flames, fueled by wind, forced about 200 students and teachers at Haleiwa Elementary to evacuate to nearby Kaiaka Beach Park.
The fire also crept dangerously close to several homes in the area.
"Close enough to feel the heat," said Hal Bryant.
Flames got within 20-feet of his back deck.
"Too close for comfort," he said.
"You never expect ti to happen to you, when you see it that close. I just looked at it it was right there, the flames were 10 feet high or something," said Renie Lindley, Haleiwa resident.
She said she was terrified not only for herself, but the home her Dad had built.
"It came so close, I don’t know what would of happened. I had all these thoughts of the whole thing going up in flames," she said.
As the fire spread down towards the coast, a homeless camp was also evacuated.
"The fire howled right on down the line, I saw it coming. It was like a freight train coming, you could hear it," said Billy Ward, homeless camper.
He was able to spare his make-shift home, but Paige Hagan lost everything.
"Pictures, just sentimental things," said Hagan, homeless camper. "That was the last of the last."
Crews had the fire contained to 12 acres by 6:00pm.
Fire investigators believe the brushfires in Wahiawa and Haleiwa were intentionally set and have turned over the cases to police.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
