LIHU‘E — A trio of fires kept local firefighters on the move this week with two of the blazes in Kapa‘a and the other one in Kekaha.
The first incident was a brush fire reported on Tuesday, shortly after 9:40 p.m. in Kekaha, the Kaua‘i Fire Department (KFD) said on Friday. The brush fire was near Kaumuali‘i Highway across from St. Theresa Parish.
Firefighters from Waimea responded to the scene.
“According to a preliminary report, KFD personnel arrived shortly before 9:50 p.m. and discovered a (10-foot by 20-foot) brush fire near the beach across from St. Theresa Parish,” the KFD said. “The blaze was quickly controlled and extinguished.
No injuries were reported, no structures burned. The scene was cleared shortly after 10 p.m. The cause of the fire is undetermined.
A second fire was reported at roughly 12:20 a.m. on Thursday near a bus stop on Apopo Road in Kapa‘a. Firefighters with the Kaiakea fire station responded to the scene.
“According to a preliminary report, KFD personnel arrived on-scene and discovered an area 20 feet by 30 feet on fire. Fire crews quickly knocked down and extinguished the fire,” the KFD said.
Damage was estimated at $1,000. The scene was cleared shortly before 12:25 a.m.
The third fire was reported later on Thursday, shortly after 5:10 a.m. near the Friendship House on Kuhio Highway in Kapa‘a.
The roughly 20-foot by 20-foot brush fire garnered some momentum before firefighters were able to get a handle on the situation and extinguish the blaze.
Firefighting personnel later discovered a leaky gas tank on-scene, which led to the closure of Kuhio Highway from Kawaihau Road to Mailihuna Road. Kauai Police Department personnel rerouted traffic through Kawaihau Road and Mailihuna Road for about two hours.
Once the contents of the gas tank were expelled, Hawai‘i Gas was contacted in order to retrieve the tank. The scene was cleared at approximately 8:10 a.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
People with information about the fires are asked to contact acting Lt. Michael Nii with the Kaua‘i Police Department’s Special Focus Section at 808-241-1682.
