3 brush fires burn in Anahola

ANAHOLA — Three brush fires broke out in Anahola Tuesday — the latest string of blazes that investigators have been battling for months now.

Firefighters from the Kaiakea, Kapaa and Lihue fire stations, joined by Rescue 3 aboard Air 1, had the scene cleaned by 6 p.m.

“This is No. 6,” said Phil Hocson, an Anahola resident who watched the fires from his home on Pilipoli Road — an area that had seen burns previously. “We had one two weeks ago, and before that, they burned every weekend.”

Hocson said the three fires started up nearly at the same time — one starting close to the Kukuihale Road turn leading to the Anahola Beach Park, the second further inland on the makai side of Kuhio Highway, and the third being the closest to his home. The blazes were reported just before 2:30 p.m. They were mostly contained an hour later.

“The fire department sent in the three small trucks to fight the one in the middle and the one closest to the turn because there’s not too many roads to get there,” Hocson said. 

Kauai County spokeswoman Sarah Blane said no structures were damaged and no injuries were reported in the trio of brush fires, which scorched roughly 10 acres of land. Police and fire units, she said, cleared the scene around 6 p.m. 

Earlier this month, Kauai police and fire officials said they were working with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to investigate multiple brush fires on public property islandwide, and urged anyone with information on the cause of the fires to contact police.

They said March 3 they had responded to more than 40 brush fires since December.

“The neighbors, we got together to push the brush back after the first fires,” Hocson said of the locals who took preventive measures after their area had burned before. “I’m glad we did that because the fire stays back.”

Tipsters can call Detective Christian Jenkins at 241-1680 or police dispatch at 241-1711.