‘Terrified’ Waikoloa residents demand better escape plan following wildfire

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Frightened by a 200-acre wildfire last Friday, residents in a West Hawaii community expressed frustration over the county’s current evacuation system.

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During a meeting Tuesday night to discuss ideas for a better escape plan, Waikoloa Village residents said they are “terrified for our lives. We are scared that we are going to burn to death with fire.”

The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency contracted KLD Associates to conduct a traffic study exploring potential improvements for evacuating the area.

After the consulting firm presented the study’s results, the conversation veered from evacuation routes to the county’s response during Friday’s fire, which broke out south of Waikoloa Road at around 4:20 p.m.

“What upset me was that my phone didn’t ding to tell me there was a fire in the village until 5:01,” another resident said.

The angered community members were not visible in a Zoom call of the meeting, but their concerns were loud and clear, and so was an official’s response.

“Okay, but you people need to just settle down, just calm down. The study is the study,” the official said.

Before the spirited question and answer portion, Rebecca Cohen of KLD pointed out the estimated evacuation time for the area would take more than four and a half hours, using an animation to demonstrate how congested the routes can get.

“Quite some time. Again, I want to point out, that does not mean that you’re going to sit in your car for 4 hours and 35 minutes, that’s the time it takes for the last vehicle to exit the area,” Cohen said.

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To clear out the community more quickly, the study considers adding another lane on Waikoloa Road.

“There’s only really one way in and out of the village,” longtime resident Earl Betts said.

But instead of adding more roadway, which many residents support, KLD determined a better option would be closures on Queen Kaahumanu Highway, similar to the ones during the Ironman triathlon.

“If you stop traffic on Queen K, you don’t need to add another lane, you’re going to reduce the evacuation time by an hour, that could mean life or death,” Cohen added.

The county opens an evacuation route from Hulu Street to the highway during emergencies, and residents want it open at all times just in case.

“To be in an emergent situation and then try to move 10,000 people out of one highway, seems ridiculous and dangerous to me,” Betts argued.

Cohen said KLD’s document is not decisive, but a guide to help the county plan and secure funding.

County officials at the meeting said they would relay attendees’ concerns to the mayor’s office.

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