Fire buffer zone planned for Maui Meadows

Maui County fire officials are moving forward with plans to provide a wildfire buffer zone around Maui Meadows in South Maui. County Fire spokesman Chris Stankis said buffers are being developed for the most at-risk areas first. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER archive photo
Maui County fire officials said they are moving forward with looking at creating a fire buffer zone around a South Maui community and improving the fire code to prevent wildfires.
The plans include developing a 100-foot fire buffer around Maui Meadows, a community with some 600 homes.
Maui Meadows Neighborhood Association president Caleb Harper said he was pleased after learning about plans at his group’s meeting Monday night at the Kulanihako’i High School.
“I definitely do not want another Lahaina or L.A. wildfire,” he said.
About 80 people attended the meeting including Fire Prevention Bureau official Nicholas Tanaka.
Fire officials said plans are to set a maximum height of 18 inches for vegetation in the buffer and the maintenance would belong to the landowner. Several large landowners own property around the community.
Fire officials also said they are looking at ways to improve the fire code requiring homeowners to help to prevent potential fire hazards. The fire code has rules about people cleaning brush around their homes based on the height and distance of the brush from a structure.
The discussion also touched upon creating an emergency exit for the community beyond two makai roads at Mikio and Mapu drives. An idea was to create a third mauka-makai exit on the Makena side of the community, Harper said.
Harper said a resident suggested looking at using water from cesspools and septic tanks to irrigate the fire buffers and turn the areas into green zones.
Chris Stankis, the county fire spokesman, said developing a third exit is a question for other governmental groups, including the Maui Emergency Management Agency and state and county transportation officials.
Stankis said that, besides the fire department, the process for developing a fire zone will also involve other parts of county government, outside contractors and support from the county GIS personnel to develop the maps based on fuel types, climatological information and past fire history.
Stankis said buffers are being developed for the most at-risk areas first.
The spotlight has been on fire prevention especially after the Lahaina wildfire and also on the need for more inspectors to enforce violations. Stankis said there are five full-time fire inspectors in Maui County, and four more positions have been approved and will be filled in 2025.
The inspectors are in charge of doing annual inspections of all schools, preschools, day care facilities and hotels within Maui County.
Stankis said businesses in Maui County depending on type are on a one-year, two-year or five-year safety inspection cycle.
Stankis said inspectors are also responsible for examining new construction, including fire protection systems, sprinklers, fire alarms, standpipes and also private hydrant water systems.
He said they are also responsible for inspections at special event sites, aerial fireworks displays and retail fireworks sales locations, as well as inspections requested by the community to address fire safety issues and brush abatement complaints.
A brush fire north of Maui Meadows took place in July 2019, burning 80 acres. Crews from three different stations responded, in addition to three helicopters, three emergency callback crews, a county public works dozer and several private dozers and tankers.
Dozers cut a control line around the fire’s perimeter while ground crews and air support doused hotspots and secured the perimeter.