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.
