Brush fires cause road closures in South Kohala and North Kona

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Firefighters are responding Thursday afternoon to a brush fire near mile marker 48 on the Saddle Road, aka Daniel K. Inouye Highway, Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief Gerald Kosaki said shortly before 4 p.m.

Firefighters are responding Thursday afternoon to a brush fire near mile marker 48 on the Saddle Road, aka Daniel K. Inouye Highway, Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief Gerald Kosaki said shortly before 4 p.m.

Two Hawaii County helicopters are also on the way. He was unsure of the size of the fire at the time.

Volunteer firefighters are also responding to a brush fire near mile marker 16 on Highway 190 in North Kona. Mile marker 16 is located south of the highway’s intersection with Saddle Road.

According to the Hawaii Police Department Highway 190 is closed between the intersection with the Saddle and the 17-mile marker.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area and to use Waikoloa Road and Kaiminani Drives as alternate routes, according to a Civil Defense message.