Fire on pali burns homes, closes road

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MAALAEA - Driven by howling winds, a brush fire destroyed at least two homes and shut down Honoapiilani Highway at the pali on Sunday afternoon, stranding motorists trying to get between West and Central Maui, as well as flight crews upon whom hundreds of tourists were depending for trips home.

No injuries were reported, but although the fire was mostly under control by 8 p.m., there were some trouble spots.

County spokeswoman Mahina Martin said one was a burning tree that had fallen onto a fiber-optic cable. Firefighters were concerned that it would break the cable and cut off telephone service to West Maui.

For that and other reasons, the fire and police departments were unable to reopen the road as late as 9:30 p.m., but by then they were planning to open one lane and allow groups of vehicles to pass through in alternate directions. The rutted and twisty alternate road around the east coast of West Maui was open to people wanting to go from West Maui to Wailuku; but from the other direction it was closed to all but residents of Kahakuloa.

The fire was reported at 2:15 p.m. mauka of the highway near Maalaea Harbor. It soon jumped the road, pushed by high winds.

Three fire engines and the Fire Department's Air One helicopter crew responded and remained there through Sunday evening. About 80 acres were burned, at times threatening the Kaheawa wind farm baseyard. Smoke obscured the highway.

Firefighters confirmed that a car and a motorcycle had also been burned in the fire. As of 6:30 p.m., the fire threatened at least three other homes and residents were evacuated.

Maui Visitors Bureau Executive Director Terryl Vencl said hotels and resort properties were working together to assist visitors stranded on both sides of the island to offer them a "distress" rate because of the fire. The Hyatt Regency Maui also arranged for a helicopter to ferry out several Delta Airlines crews.

Visitors who had planned to leave their hotels on the west side more than likely were allowed to stay an extra night at the same hotels, Vencl said.

Michael Kearney of San Diego canceled plans to attend a luau in West Maui when he found himself stranded at the Harbor Shops at Maalaea.

The luau at the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali was to have been the culmination of a first-time, four-day visit to Maui.

"We were really looking forward to it, but I don't think it's going to happen now," Kearney said around 3:30 p.m.

On Sunday morning, Kearney, 27, and his girlfriend went snorkeling in Maalaea and missed a bus ride to Lahaina by about 10 seconds around 2 p.m.

They waited for the next bus, and just when they were about to board, they saw firetrucks speeding down Honoapiilani Highway in Maalaea.

"We're pretty much stuck here," Kearney said as he waited for word about when he could get back into Lahaina.

Dr. Patrick Hunter of Kailua, Oahu, brought his wife, Karen, and three daughters, ages 4, 6 and 7, for a first-time family trip to Kaanapali. Sunday morning, they attended Mass at Christ the King Church in Kahului, where they were recognized for having celebrated a wedding anniversary this month.

The Hunters also visited Iao Valley and played in the streams. They decided to leave Central Maui shortly after 2 p.m. and head toward West Maui to check into their hotel. But they were stopped at the intersection of Honoapiilani Highway and North Kihei Road. Rather than sit in traffic, Hunter made a quick decision to travel into Kihei.

"Fire or no fire," Hunter said he and his family were determined to enjoy Father's Day on a sunny but windy afternoon on Maui. So they headed for the beaches in Kihei.

"We'll just make the most of it," Hunter said.

Kearney said he had enjoyed his vacation on Maui up until the moment the fire broke out. "We love it here. It's been awesome," he said.

At the Maalaea 76, cashier May Bautista said hardly anyone had been in the store even though there were a lot of cars stuck on the highway outside the gas station.

"There's no one coming in. We're so slow here," she said.

The dry and deserted area above Maalaea burns every year. The Maui Electric lines that serve West Maui pass through the area, some hundreds of feet above sea level, and are sometimes threatened by brush fires. But on Sunday, there were no major power outages reported.

The cause of the fire was being investigated.

County emergency managers hoped to get the road open late in the evening, but that was subject to changing conditions affected by high wind, fallen debris, roadway clearing and heavy equipment access. Motorists were cautioned to expect significant delays, even once the highway was reopened.

* Staff Writer Harry Eagar contributed to this story.

Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@maui news.com.