More acres scorched

Firefighters and emergency responders tried to extinguish a brush fire for more than an hour and a half yesterday afternoon before deeming it under control.

Roughly 30 acres burned during the Westside blaze, beginning roughly 2.5 miles on the mauka side of the Makaweli Post Office.

The incident added to the tally of significant brush fires within the past 30 days on-island, which, according to county officials, just exceeded the one-dozen mark.

Dispatch received an emergency call about the fire at 3:17 p.m., according to Mary Daubert, county spokeswoman.

Firefighters from the Kalaheo, Koloa and Waimea stations along with Rescue-3 and Air-1 responded to the 3:17 alarm. Engine 7 and Brush Truck 7 — with backup from brush trucks 5 and 4 — also were called to the scene.

The fire was brought under control at 4:45 p.m.

Firefighters were assisted by Gay & Robinson employees who used their water tenders to refill the fire trucks.

At press time, firefighters remained on-scene mopping up hot spots.

No lives or structures were threatened by the fire.

With more than 250 acres lost in the several brush fires within the past month, Fire Chief Robert Westerman is reminding residents how to avoid wildfires.

According to a prepared statement residents should “protect their homes by creating a defensible space,” Westerman said.

That means creating 30-foot buffer zones around property — even with as few as 5 or 10 feet.

Defensible space can be maintained by pruning shrubs and trees so the lowest branches are 6- to 10-feet off the ground, to prevent fire traveling from the ground to the tree tops. It also means removing dead leaves and plant material from around the home and planting vegetation with a high-moisture content to ensure that plants closest to the house are lowest to the ground.

• Amanda C. Gregg, assistant editor/staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or agregg@kauaipubco.com.