Brush fire along Kuihelani Highway in Central Maui fully extinguished

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The fire that began in Central Maui Thursday afternoon along Kuihelani Highway was fully contained at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night.

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The fire broke out just before 3:30 p.m. in Waikapu, and the Maui Fire Department was at the scene.

Firefighters said they found a multi-acre area of brush and grass burning in the direction of Kuihelani Highway.

MFD said at around 4:30 p.m. ground crews and water drops from Air 1 halted the fire’s forward progress.

Officials initially closed both directions of Kuihelani Highway.

Firefighters received assistance from a bulldozer to cut a fire line around the burned area. They continued to monitor the area and extinguish hot spots within the perimeter throughout the night.

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The fire was declared extinguished at 6:40 a.m. this morning, with a burned area of approximately seven acres. No injuries or damages were reported.

Both the Kahului-bound lanes and Maalaea-bound lanes reopened Thursday afternoon.

No evacuations were ordered, and no structures were threatened.

The cause of the fire is currently “undetermined” but remains under investigation.

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