By Grace Lee
KGMB 9
MAUI, Hawaii — A big Maui brushfire fueled by gusty winds has flared up a second time on Wednesday. Dozens of firefighters tried to get the upper hand on the blaze that threatened homes and forced the closure of Honoapiilani Highway, the major thoroughfare between the Kahului airport and Lahaina. Police shut it down when flames jumped the road around noon. They reopened it at 5 p.m. only to close it again indefinitely at 7:30 p.m.
The blaze has burned one house in Olowalu Village leaving 10 people homeless. Dozens of homes were evacuated, and by the end of the day, flames had torched more than 800 acres. Maui County Spokeswoman Mahina Martin said, “the effect of an incident of this magnitude not only affects the visitors but their employees. (They) can’t cover their shift work (and) families (are) separated.”
The American Red Cross opened two shelters, but only the one at Maui High School remained open overnight. A county spokeswoman said more than 300 people rushed to the school’s gymnasium, stranded by the road closure. Aaron Longshore who runs a kayak tour company said, it’s “not quite panic but definitely a frenzy feeling with traffic. People are all standing by watching, confused a little bit, trying to get from one place to another.”
Full Story: Brushfire Forces Closures, Evacuations