Aug. 9 (UPI) — Evacuations have been ordered for several Hawaii communities after fires erupted due to high winds caused by Hurricane Dora and dry conditions, officials said.
Several brush fires have been reported on the state’s large Hawaii Island, according to the county’s website, prompting officials to order evacuations for Kohala Ranch below Kamakani Loop and North Fairways of Mauna Kea Resort.
On Maui Island, a fire was reported at 12:22 a.m. Tuesday near Olinda Road, which as of 2 p.m. has spread to about 1,000 acres, the county said in a statement. Fire fighters have been battling the blaze while residents in the Kula 200 and Hanamu Road areas were evacuated early Tuesday.
Residents in Kulalani Drive and Kulalani Circle were evacuated Tuesday afternoon due to an Upcountry brush fire.
In a Tuesday night update, the county said brush fires in Lahaina and Upcountry had merged and burned multiple structures and forced multiple evacuations to be ordered.
The National Weather Service has warned that “strong and potentially damaging easterly winds” and “very dry conditions” will persist Tuesday night into Wednesday as Hurricane Dora passes far south of the state.
“Dangerous fire weather conditions will persist through Wednesday afternoon,” the NWS said, adding that more typical wind patterns will return later in the week and through the weekend.
On X, NWS Honolulu warned of winds between 30 and 45 mph with gusts as strong as 60 mph.
“Secure property, expect outages & difficult travel,” it said in a statement on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “High fire danger with rapid spread. NO outdoor burning.”
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation in relation to the wildfires that are being whipped up by Hurricane Dora.
The proclamation activates the National Guard, among other actions.
Luke is acting as governor while Gov. Josh Green is out of state until Aug. 15.
“We are closely following the wildfires caused by the strong winds of Hurricane Dora,” Luke said in a statement.
“The safety of our residents is paramount, and this emergency proclamation will activate the Hawaii National Guard to support emergency responders in the impacted communities.”
Hawaiian Electric said in a statement that some 12,400 customers in West Maui were in the dark Tuesday night as crews worked to repair about 30 downed utility poles and multiple spans of power lines. Some 600 Upcountry customers were without power, as more than 30 spans of power lines were downed, it said.
The utility service warned customers who were without power by 7 p.m. to prepare for possible outages stretching into Wednesday morning.
Dora was located about 700 miles south-southwest of Honolulu, and moving west at 23 mph with sustained winds of 130 mph, according to a 5 p.m. HST update from the National Hurricane Center.
The National Park Service is warning parents to keep their children close after a toddler ran toward the edge of a 400-foot-tall cliff at Hawaii National Park on Christmas.
The young boy was at the park with his family to view the eruption of the Kilauea volcano. They were in a closed area at Kilauea Overlook when he wandered away from his family before the “near miss.” His mother, screaming, managed to grab him just about a foot away from a fatal fall.
“Park rangers remind visitors to stay on trail, stay out of closed areas and to keep their children close, especially when watching Kīlauea from viewpoints along Crater Rim Trail. Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk,” the agency warned.
Rangers noted that dangers escalate during volcanic eruptions, as people flock to view the spectacle of lava flowing out of the Earth’s crust. The Park Service urged drivers to slow, and watch out for pedestrians, Hawaiian geese, and switch to low beams when other cars and pedestrians are present.
The eruption, which started on December 23, is now in its second pause, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. But, it could still restart at any time.
Furthermore, emissions of toxic gas remain high, including particulate matter called tephra. Billions of minuscule pieces of tephra, which include all fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano, can be carried on winds for thousands of miles and can cause respiratory issues. Volcanoes also produce dangerous gases, like carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride.
Tephra has blanketed the closed portion of Crater Rim Drive downwind of the lava.
“The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management,” Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement.
“Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibility. National parks showcase nature’s splendor but they are not playgrounds,” she said.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit by Maui County Council candidate Kelly King to overturn the general election results.
King lost her race last month to incumbent Tom Cook by 97 votes.
She argued the county rejected too many ballots because of missing or invalid signatures, and that voters weren’t offered enough help to fix the problems.
In Maui County, there were nearly 1,100 deficient ballots compared to the national average. King says Maui County’s rejection rate was nearly double the state average in 2022.
But the high court ruled Tuesday that the County Clerk’s Office followed state law and all administrative rules to cure the deficient ballots.
View the full decision here.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Authorities are investigating how a passenger without a ticket got onto a Delta Airlines flight bound for Honolulu Christmas Eve.
According to Delta Airlines, the traveler boarded flight 487 from Seattle to Honolulu, on an Airbus A321neo aircraft.
The traveler has not been identified, but the airlines confirmed the person was discovered during the taxi out at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Tuesday.
The flight returned to the gate, where the person was removed and arrested. The Transportation Security Administration conducted additional security checks, including customer rescreening.
The flight was delayed 2 hours and 15 minutes and continued on to Honolulu, the airline said.
Delta Airlines said in a statement: “As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”
Delta said early indications are the unticketed passenger boarded the flight at the gate without presenting a boarding pass.
TSA says the passenger made it through the standard screening, and did not possess any prohibited items.
The investigation is ongoing.
This happened on the same day that a body was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight that arrived in Kahului from Chicago.
That incident also remains under investigation.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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