A 15-foot-high mound of heavy recyclables burst into flames yesterday afternoon at Abe’s Auto Recyclers, spewing billows of black smoke west over Puhi Valley homes toward the Hoary Head mountain range. “God … it was like napalm. It literally looked
A 15-foot-high mound of heavy recyclables burst into flames yesterday afternoon at Abe’s Auto Recyclers, spewing billows of black smoke west over Puhi Valley homes toward the Hoary Head mountain range.
“God … it was like napalm. It literally looked like a volcano erupting into a 250-foot-high fire,” said Tierra Lye, who watched the blaze develop from the roof of her house an eighth of a mile away. “We were just praying that the wind would stay and we wouldn’t have to evacuate.”
Witnesses at nearby Puhi Industrial Park said they feared breathing the “toxic smoke” produced from the burning tires, car parts and heavy machinery.
A county press release states the burning material was recyclable home appliances.
“We have plenty of friends who live around here, so whenever we see a fire that looks nasty like this we always come to make sure they’re OK,” said Paul Medeiros, who first saw the smoke while working in the area around 11:30 a.m.
County authorities asked several Eastside residents to evacuate as a safety precaution, according to a Kaua‘i Fire Department news release.
Department of Health officials could not confirm the smoke’s toxicity at press time.
“It was the biggest fire I ever saw — pretty intense,” said Lye, a former wildlands firefighter.
There were no injuries or structural damage reported, the county news release states.
Some 14 firefighters and rescue specialists from Lihu‘e, Kapa‘a, Koloa and Hanapepe fire stations, along with two state Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighters, responded to the 11:18 a.m. alarm. Personnel from Abe’s Auto Recyclers also provided assistance.
Most of the fire was knocked down with Class A foam. The blaze was deemed under control at 12:40 p.m. and fully extinguished at 4:15 p.m., Kaua‘i Fire Department officials said in a news release.
Portions of nearby roads were closed due to the fire, including Hulemalu Road between the Puhi Road and Kipu Road junctions, but all were reopened by 4 p.m. yesterday. Abe’s was also closed for several hours.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or via e-mail at neagle@kauaipubco.com.
