Firefighters extinguish brush fire, rescue injured hiker

Kaua‘i firefighters were busy Monday, battling a brush fire in Pākalā and rescuing an injured hiker in Kōke‘e.

Kaua‘i Fire Department personnel responded at about 2:30 p.m. to a location along Kaumuali‘i Highway near the 21.5-mile marker close to the Pākalā surf break.

Firefighters arriving at the scene saw a 300-by-200-foot brush fire mauka (mountainside) of the highway, and with the help from private landowners, the blaze was contained by about 3:10 p.m. and extinguished shortly after.

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

The Kaua‘i Police Department closed the westbound lane of Kaumuali‘i Highway for nearly 30 minutes to allow crews to battle the blaze.

The scene was cleared at about 4:10 p.m.

No injuries and no damages to structures were reported.

Personnel from the Hanapēpē Fire Station, Kaua‘i Police Department and the on-duty battalion chief responded. Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency first responders also monitored the fire and were on standby for support.

While crews battled the brush fire, firefighters with the Waimea Fire Station were responding to a call that came in just before 2:30 p.m. about an injured hiker at Kōke‘e.

Crews arrived at the Waimea Canyon Trail and found a 61-year-old Arizona man, who is visiting the island, with an apparent ankle injury.

The man was extricated via stokes litter and wheel to awaiting American Medical Response medics, who continued medical treatment before transporting him to Kaua‘i Memorial Veterans Hospital in Waimea.

The scene was cleared shortly after 4:10 p.m.