Puna Information Update for October 22nd, 2020
Two fires in the Puna district keeps Hawaii Fire Department (HFD) crews busy Thursday (October 22nd).
Published by: HIRSC - Hawaii Island (Holualoa) Team
info@hiradioscannercommunity.com
The Hawaii Fire Department (HFD) along with the Hawaii Police Department (HPD) responded to reports of two brush fires that broke out in the Puna district on Thursday (October 22nd).
The first brush fire call came in at 11:35 am Thursday afternoon and HFD crews from the Kea'au, Volcano, Pahoa, and Central Fire Stations along with Battalion 1, Chopper 1, and HPD Officers from the Puna Patrol responded to the scene located near the Glenwood Transfer Station in Puna.
Upon the arrival of emergency crews, reports came in from bystanders reporting smoke was visible in the area of the Glenwood Transfer Station. Bystanders were unable to locate the exact location of the source of the smoke and requested the assistance of emergency crews to determine the source.
Once emergency crews at the scene, HFD crews conducted a search of the area near Glenwood Transfer Station and at the nearby Aloha Estates. Upon further investigation, they found multiple green waste piles burning in a clearing in the Aloha Estates subdivision and immediately worked to extinguish all fires. HFD crews encountered a few challenges related to the firefight:
Due to the terrain and also location of the fire, HFD crews had to utilized 4x4 Brush Trucks to access the fires. Crews also utilized Chopper 1 to conduct water bucket drops on the green waste piles on fire.
Water supply was very limited at the scene, Two HFD Tankers were utilized to shuttle water to the scene from a water supply source located in Mountain View.
HFD crews were able to have the upper hand on the green waste fires by Thursday afternoon and crews would remain on scene throughout the night to monitor the piles for flare-ups. No injuries or damage to structures were reported. The cause of the fires remains under investigation.
The second incident was reported at 1:41 pm Thursday afternoon and HFD crews from the Volcano, Kea'au, Central, and Haihai Fire Stations along with Battalion 1, Chopper 1, volunteers from the Hawaiian Acres and Fern Acres stations, and HPD officers from the Puna Patrol responded to the scene located at 16-1700 Ao Road in the Hawaiian Acres subdivision in Puna.
Upon the arrival of emergency crews, reports came in from a resident reporting that was burning brush on private property, however, the fire got out of control and had begun to spread to the surrounding brush and requested the assistance of HFD. Fire at the time of the report had burned an area of approximately 20 yards and was approximately 100 yards from the nearest structure.
Once emergency crews arrived at the scene, HFD crews immediately worked to gain control of the brush fire. HFD crews also encountered a few challenges while working to gain control of the fire:
Due to the terrain and also location of the fire, HFD crews had to utilized 4x4 Brush Trucks to access the fires. Crews also utilized Chopper 1 to conduct water bucket drops to help reach inaccessible by ground personnel.
Water supply was very limited at the scene, HFD Tankers and Engines were utilized to shuttle water to the scene from a water supply source located outside of the Hawaiian Acres subdivision.
HFD crews had the fire under control just after 3:00 pm Thursday afternoon and ground crews would also remain at the scene overnight monitoring for hot-spots and flare-ups at this incident. The fire burned an estimated 1/3-acre.
No injuries or damage to structures were reported with this incident.