$1.8M awarded for wildfire mitigation as Hawaii enters peak fire season

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As Hawaii heads deeper into fire season following multiple brush fires on Oahu Wednesday, state officials are investing $1.8 million in wildfire mitigation projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk across the islands.

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The Hawaii Urban Interface (HUI) Wildfire Grant Program awarded funding to eight organizations on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii Island. The grants will support projects including firebreak construction, invasive vegetation removal, managed grazing, evacuation studies and improved emergency access.

The funding comes as firefighters warn that dry vegetation and windy conditions can quickly turn small brush fires into dangerous wildfires.

“The real issue we have in Hawaii is we have a ton of exotic grass wildfire fuels,” said Michael Walker, the state protection forester with the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife. “We really wanted to empower the communities… that know their landscape and really can tailor-make the projects work for them.”

Walker said the state is also watching long-term weather patterns, warning that abundant vegetation growth this year could become dangerous fuel if dry conditions develop next year.

For Waianae agricultural property owner Austin Salcedo, Wednesday’s fires were a reminder of how quickly conditions can change.

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“Our Kona lows had brought the green grass. Now that green grass during the summertime, it’s turned dry and brown,” Salcedo said. “That’s all dry tinder.”

The grant announcement comes days after the more than 700-acre Kawaihae wildfire on Hawaii Island and just before the third anniversary of the deadly Maui wildfires.

Honolulu Fire Department Public Information Officer Keopelo Gowan said residents should prepare before a fire starts.

“We always want to encourage everybody to maintain awareness… and then have a plan to enact well before the arrival of any type of emergency,” Gowan said.

No structures were damaged and no evacuations were ordered during Wednesday’s brush fires on Oahu.

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