Update: Koke‘e brush fire scorches 1,600 acres; remains 85% contained

10 p.m. Sunday update: The Koke‘e fire remains at 85% contained as of Sunday evening, following efforts to address numerous hot spots throughout the day.

Fire officials estimate approximately 1,600 acres have been burned since Thursday.

Units will resume final mop-up efforts on Monday morning.

In addition to ground crews on scene, Air 1 was also mobilized on Sunday to conduct water drops over the remaining hot spots. Air 1 has since suspended efforts for the day.

No injuries have been reported and no structures are currently threatened.

Waimea Canyon Drive reopened to two-way traffic at 7 p.m. Koke‘e Road remains open.

9 a.m. Sunday update: The Koke‘e brush fire is now 85% contained.

A fire watch was in place overnight and various crews returned this morning to continue final efforts and ensure all hot spots are extinguished. 

Ground crews with the Kaua‘i Fire Department and Department of Land and Natural Resources will remain on scene today, while air assets and other ground resources will be on standby if needed. Additionally, personnel from the Hawai‘i National Guard remain on scene providing operational support.

There have been no injuries reported and no structures are currently threatened.

Waimea Canyon Drive remains closed in both directions at this time. Koke‘e Road remains open.

6 p.m. Saturday update: The Koke‘e brush fire scorched approximately 1,300 acres and is 70% contained.

Air assets will suspend their efforts at nightfall and will resume Sunday morning. Ground crews will continue their efforts through the night.

No injuries have been reported and no structures are currently threatened.

Koke‘e Road will reopen to two-way traffic at 7 p.m.. Waimea Canyon Drive will remain closed in both directions until further notice.

The voluntary evacuation/shelter-in-place notice in Koke‘e will be lifted at 7 p.m., with the reopening of Koke‘e Road.

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative re-energized the Koke‘e circuit as of 10:45 a.m. Two poles experienced some damage but will be replaced at a later date.

12:05 p.m. Saturday update: Kaua‘i Island Cooperative has re-energized the Koke‘e circuit. Two poles experienced some damage but will be replaced at a later date.

9 a.m. Saturday update: Crews continue to battle Koke‘e brush fire this morning with air assets assisting in dousing the flames.

Overnight ground crews responded to a flare-up on the eastern flank of the fire, which did not threaten any structures. The blaze subsided around 2:30 a.m. and greatly diminished by 4 a.m. Crews remain on scene as the fire is still estimated to be 40% contained.

No injuries have been reported and no structures are currently threatened.

Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative personnel are inspecting poles and lines potentially impacted by the fire. There is no estimate yet on when power will be restored to Koke‘e.

Those impacted should prepare for an extended outage in the event repairs or pole replacements are necessary.

Koke‘e Road and Waimea Canyon Drive remain closed in both directions until further notice for firefighting operations.

A voluntary evacuation for the Koke‘e and Waimea Canyon State Park areas was initiated Friday, and a shelter-in-place is now in effect in Koke‘e as extended road closures continue. There are no residential homes in this area. As such, no shelters are available at this time.

7:45 p.m. Friday update: Koke‘e Road and Waimea Canyon Drive are now closed in both directions until further notice for firefighting operations. Continue to avoid the area.

5:55 p.m. Friday update: County officials announced the Kokeʻe brushfire remains ongoing and is currently estimated to be 40% contained.

Helicopter crews will suspend firefighting efforts in Kokeʻe this evening and will resume Saturday morning.

Ground crews will continue their efforts through the night. No injuries have been reported and no structures are currently threatened.

KIUC expects power to remain out in Kokeʻe for the night due to unsafe conditions. The utility cooperative not been able to inspect its poles and lines for damage from the fire.

County officials also report that in order to accommodate first responders, Waimea Canyon Drive is closed from Panini Place to the Waimea Canyon Drive and Koke‘e Road junction. Residents on Panini Place will not be affected by the closure. Koke‘e Road remains closed from Kekaha Road to Waimea Canyon Drive, and is expected to remain closed for the duration of this incident. However, those evacuating Koke‘e or Waimea Canyon Drive will be allowed to exit through Koke‘e Road.  

3:25 p.m. Friday update: A public affairs officer with the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) issued a statement on firefighting efforts Friday afternoon, saying PMRF came to assist at approximately 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, minutes after Kauaʻi County was alerted of the fire.

“Last night, PMRF deployed two firefighting crews and one Aircraft Rescue Firefighting truck. PMRF Barking Sands Fire and Emergency Services Personnel were relieved at approximately 5 a.m. and are standing by to render further assistance if necessary,” said Public Affairs Officer Louisa Lea. She stated that the their assistance added significant firefighting capability, as the truck is equipped with far firing water cannons and large water tanks that can be used to refill the standard fire trucks on scene. 

PMRF and the Hawaiʻi National Guard provided two helicopters to assist in the firefighting efforts on Friday.

“Any time we are able to assist our county firefighters we are happy to do it,” said BSFES Fire Chief Oric Kuapahi in a statement. “Almost all of the firefighters grew up on the west side, so when we need to work together, we already have a great relationship; we aren’t just helping KFD we’re helping our relatives, our neighbors and our friends.” 

2:32 p.m. Friday update: The Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency is recommending a voluntary evacuation for the Koke‘e and Waimea Canyon State Park areas.

According to county officials, “There is no immediate fire threat to the area, however, extended road closures could result in isolation. Those unable to shelter in place are urged to leave the area immediately and will be allowed to exit through Koke‘e Road.”

There are no residential homes in this area. As such, no shelters are available at this time.

1:36 p.m. update: County officials announced emergency crews continue to fight the Koke‘e fire that broke out Thursday evening at approximately 7 p.m.

No injuries have been reported, and there is still no current threat to structures.

Power to Kokeʻe has been cut for safety reasons.

“At the request of the Kauai Emergency Management Agency and for the safety of all emergency response crews fighting this wildfire, KIUC will de-energize the Kokeʻe circuit effective immediately,” said KIUC representative Beth Amaro in a statement.

“There is no estimated timeframe at this point for re-energizing that circuit. Approximately 116 members are affected.”

KIUC continues to monitor its infrastructure in the area and reports no damage at this time.

Additionally, Kaua‘i Police advises the community not to call 9-1-1 for updates, emphasizing people to call the number for emergencies only.

The public is urged to continue to avoid the area.

11:30 a.m. Friday update: The Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) says it may be necessary to cut power to Kokeʻe due to the brush fire. People in Kokeʻe are advised to prepare for an outage.

“KIUC crews are closely monitoring the Kokee brush fire and its proximity to utility infrastructure. Based on current conditions, it may be necessary to de-energize the circuit feeding Kokee,” said KIUC representative Beth Amaro in a statement.

“We will provide as much notice as possible before de-energization; however, members in Kokeʻe should prepare now for a possible extended outage.”

10:30 a.m. Friday update: KPD Fire Chief Michael Gibson said in an interview the fire is about 300 acres and is only about 35 percent contained. “As it gets a little bit warmer, it’s getting a little bit windier, starting to spread,” said Gibson.

“It’s spreading faster than it was at nighttime. So in the daylight, the wind picks up a little bit, and so the fire is able to start traveling a little bit more with the wind.”

Gibson said smaller helicopters are activated, and the National Guard has sent their Black Hawk military helicopter to the scene, which would be in service within the next few minutes.

“It’s going to get outfitted with a bucket so it can do water drops, and it’ll be able to drop 500 gallons of water at a time,” he said.

Gibson said no structures are currently threatened, but that could become a concern if wind speeds continue to pick up and emergency crews can’t get control of the fire.

The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. “We have not found any reason to believe it was malicious,” Gibson said.

8:30 a.m. Friday update: The brush fire that broke out Thursday evening off Koke‘e Road remains ongoing and multiple units are continuing their response with additional air assets now joining in the effort.  

No injuries have been reported and while no structures are actively threatened, this fire is not yet fully contained. There are currently no fire-related power outages.

Koke‘e Road remains closed from Kekaha Road to Waimea Canyon Drive and is expected to remain closed for the duration of this incident.

Responding agencies include the Kaua‘i Fire Department, Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources – Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement and Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Kaua‘i Police Department, Department of Public Works, Pacific Missile Range Facility, Līhu‘e Airport – Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting, Agribusiness Development Corporation, Wa‘alani Enterprises, Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency, Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, Hawai‘i Department of Transportation Highways Division, Hawai‘i National Guard, Airborne Aviation, and other private contractors.

Officials with Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative continue to monitor the fire and have had operational staff assessing any impacts to the power company’s lines through the night.

Officials are continuing to monitor weather conditions while first responders work to protect homes and critical communications in the area.

10:30 p.m. update: County officials say multiple ground crews remain on scene of the brush fire located off Koke‘e Road.

They are expected to remain on scene through the night.

Responding agencies include the Kaua‘i Fire Department, Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, Kaua‘i Police Department, Department of Public Works, Pacific Missile Range Facility, Līhu‘e Airport Rescue and Fire Fighters, and private companies.

Kokeʻe Road is expected to remain closed from Kekaha Road to Waimea Canyon Drive for the duration of this incident.

Officials with the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative report there are no fire-related power outages at this time. However, the power company will continue to work alongside county officials to monitor the situation.

Additionally, fire officials plan to deploy air assets at first light Friday morning, to assist in the firefighting effort.

The public is urged to remain vigilant. 

9:45 p.m. update: Annie and Tyler Beatty, a couple visiting the island, captured a video of the fire at 7:08 p.m. while driving back from Waimea Canyon State Park.

“It was pretty scary,” said Tyler Beatty in a phone interview, noting he didn’t know if the road would be closed or if they should turn around or continue driving.

Tyler Beatty said they didn’t have cellphone service at the time, but immediately called 911 a couple of minutes later once within range. He said first responders were aware of the fire and drove by them on the road soon after.

“We must have seen it right before they got there,” he said.

“Just being like a few feet away from it was pretty crazy. We were just expecting it to be kind of off in the distance and maybe being contained and already responded to. But sure enough, we just kept driving. And the longer we kept driving, the closer we got, until you saw in the video we were right next to it.”

Original post: Multiple units are responding to a brush fire that broke out Thursday evening, July 18, off Koke‘e Road.

Koke‘e Road is closed from Kekaha Road to Waimea Canyon Drive until further notice.

Officials ask the public to remain vigilant and stay tuned to local media for updates.

Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.