Molokai blaze blackens 7,800 acres

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The ongoing brush fire in Molokai shut down schools and impacted businesses and daily life Monday as fire crews and others battled the blaze for a third day.

On Monday afternoon, an estimated 7,800 acres in the center of Molokai had been consumed by the fire. The blaze began around noon Saturday near Kikipua Street mauka of Kaunakakai. The fire had grown around 1,800 acres since Sunday. A cause has not been determined.

Also late Monday, the fire was moving west, county officials said.

More than 70 county and state firefighters were battling the blaze with the assistance of five helicopters, seven bulldozers and five water tankers. State Department of Land and Natural Resources officials and personnel from the Nature Conservancy were also helping battle the blaze that roamed over gulches and consumed massive amounts of brush.

Bulldozers were being used to cut firebreaks, and firefighters were dealing with flare-ups. Numerous calls of flare-ups were reported late Monday afternoon.

"Our crews are doing an outstanding job, and we truly appreciate the great support from the people and businesses of Molokai," said Fire Chief Jeff Murray in a news release.

Many Molokai residents have come forward to help and have dropped off food for the firefighters and support personnel, Murray said.

The county reported Monday that the fire destroyed an abandoned structure near Kalamaula, and firefighters saved an adjacent home, which was not damaged, said county spokeswoman Mahina Martin. The other only reported structural damage was a garage sustaining fire damage over the weekend.

The only reported injury was one firefighter who suffered from smoke inhalation over the weekend.

Because of road closures, four schools were closed on Monday. They were: Kaunakakai Elementary School, Molokai Middle School, Molokai High School and Kualapuu Public Charter School. The schools were not threatened by the fire itself.

On Monday afternoon, Department of Education spokeswoman Sandra Goya said Kaunakakai Elementary, Molokai Middle and Molokai High schools will be open today.

Kualapuu Public Charter School will make an announcement this morning, she said.

Molokai High and Molokai Middle school officials said on Monday morning that the schools in Hoolehua were not in danger. But the schools needed to close because some school staff could not get to work because of blocked roads. Students were also impacted by the road closures.

Some students from Molokai's west side did make it to school, but they were sent home, Molokai High School Principal Denise Kelly said. She said the school closed around 8 a.m. Monday. Some school buses remained in service to take students home.

Around 500 students are enrolled at Molokai middle and high schools.

Some businesses and offices were also closed because of the fire.

A message at the Kawela Plantation Homeowners Association said the office was closed Monday because of the fire.

The county's Cooke Memorial Swimming Pool remained closed Monday while it was being used as a water source for helicopters.

The state's Molokai Forest Reserve was closed to all public access because of the fire, a Department of Land and Natural Resources announcement said late Monday afternoon.

"This closure is for public safety, as our wildfire fighters have encountered individuals on all-terrain vehicles in the Makakupaia burn area within the forest reserve," said Paul Conry, Division of Forestry and Wildlife administrator.

DLNR officials said people could become trapped by the fire or encounter heavy equipment being used to fight the fire.

Although the fire was not near Molokai Airport, some passengers reportedly could not make their scheduled flights because of blocked roads. Airport operations were not affected by the fire, officials said.

On a satellite map of Molokai generated by the Pacific Disaster Center in Kihei, Martin showed The Maui News the extent of the fire's path.

It showed the fire burned areas above and to both sides of Kaunakakai town. The burned area was about seven miles long and went about two miles above the town.

As of 1 p.m. Monday, the Red Cross closed its only shelter at the Mitchell Pauole Community Center in Kaunakakai, said Gail Raikes, Maui County director of the American Red Cross.

She said a couple had stayed overnight, and one other person showed up at the shelter but didn't stay.

Raikes said Red Cross officials were preparing to open the Molokai High School gym in Hoolehua as a shelter late Sunday night but found that it wasn't necessary.

Noreen Kaalekahi, of Kalamaula, was breathing a sigh of relief Monday morning as she was back in her home that was threatened by the fire on Sunday.

Kaalekahi said she was cleaning up ash as well as taking things out of the family car that was packed up when they evacuated.

She said Monday afternoon that the fire was far away from the homes at Kalamaula, where fire had raged toward residences Sunday afternoon.

"Like you see in the movies, a whole line of flames coming down from the mountains straight down to Kalamaula," Kaalekahi said.

At one point, the fire went up to a neighbor's back porch, she said.

The family evacuated around 3:30 p.m. Sunday and returned around 10 p.m., she said.

When the family returned home, Kaalekahi said she could still hear the fire raging. "I didn't go to sleep until 3 in the morning."

Floyd Mahiai Jr., whose home is on Kaiwi Street that connects to Kikipua Street near where the fire started, said on Monday morning that the fire was far up the mountains.

He and his family were on Oahu over the weekend. But he could see the fire's damage when he came home. He described the area above his house as being "all burned out."

Although he couldn't see any flames Monday morning, he did see a lot of smoke near the mountain area and said the winds were blowing the fire toward the mountains and away from Kaunakakai.

A couple of Molokai residents said the community was pulling together. People evacuated from their homes patronized businesses in Kaunakakai town Sunday night, and others were helping one another.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.