4 P.M. UPDATE: Maui Fire Department said the brush fire that has consumed about 5,300 acres below Pukalani is at 80 percent containment and cited the cause of the fire as accidental due to farm equipment.

Continued rain, light winds and cooler conditions have helped in reducing the fire activity, according to Chris Stankis, MPD acting information officer. The fire is holding at the current acreage of damage, mostly in fallow former sugar cane fields.

“An investigation into the cause of the fire has revealed that the fire was accidental and caused by farm equipment working in the fields near Haleakala Highway,” he said.

The containment figure was recorded at 3 p.m. Friday and will likely be the last update of the day, Stankis added.

8:15 A.M. UPDATE: Maui Fire Department said the now 5,300-acre blaze below Pukalani is 60 percent contained as of Friday morning and crews are continuing to extinguish hot spots and set fire breaks around the perimeter.

“The arrival of rain early this morning has slowed the fire activity and is helping fire crews with containment,” said Chris Stankis, MPD acting public information officer, on Friday morning around 8:15 a.m.

Pulehu Road, which was closed Thursday after the fire began, was reopened as of Friday morning.

The only damage reported so far has been to Maui Electric Co. power lines and Maui Pono irrigation equipment in a fire that consumed mostly fallow former sugar cane fields, MFD said. Also, no homes were threatened and no evacuations were ordered. No reports of widespread power outages have occurred.

MFD said the blaze’s cause remains under investigation. Maui Police Department has made two arrests in three brush fires under investigation for arson in the last couple months.

The brush fire was reported at 1:53 p.m. Thursday below Pukalani. It grew rapidly due to strong winds of 20 mph with a wind advisory in effect due to Tropical Storm Erick. The fire jumped Pulehu Road at about 3:45 p.m. The Maui Police Department closed Pulehu Road at Hansen and Omaopio roads and asked motorists to avoid the area Thursday afternoon.