Rural Maui brush fire burns 2, 500 acres; homes evacuated ADVERTISING Rural Maui brush fire burns 2, 500 acres; homes evacuated HONOLULU (AP) — Ten people have evacuated their homes as firefighters battled a blaze that had already scorched 2,500
Rural Maui brush fire burns 2, 500 acres; homes evacuated
HONOLULU (AP) — Ten people have evacuated their homes as firefighters battled a blaze that had already scorched 2,500 acres of rural Maui.
The fire hadn’t been contained Tuesday afternoon, said Maui County Fire Services Officer Ed Taomoto. He said 10 residents from Kahikinui homesteads have evacuated, while 10 others chose to remain in their homes.
Three county helicopters poured water on the flames from the air. County public works bulldozers laid fire breaks along with state forestry crews. Workers from the Haleakala, Ulupalakua and Kaupo ranches were helping.
The burned area is mostly dryland shrub on the south side of Haleakala, Taomoto said. The blaze stretches from sea level to about 2,000 feet above sea level.
The flames hit several spots in the area but was considered one fire, Taomoto said. The flames were near the 25 to 27 mile markers on Piilani Highway.
The blaze began about 5:40 p.m. Monday.
Hawaii volunteers help homeless people on Valentine’s Day
HONOLULU (AP) — A group of Hawaii volunteers spent Valentine’s Day helping homeless people get free food, clothing and support.
The volunteers went to Wahiawa District Park Sunday. They also went to Karston Thot Bridge in Wahiawa.
The group, called Alea Bridge, is led by Joseph Acosta. He estimates there are 175 people living under the bridge and another 30 to 50 homeless people living in the Wahiawa area.
Nearly 100 people showed up at the event seeking help. Acosta says they have set up files for nearly 50 people and plan to follow up to help however they can. The organization hopes to expand their services statewide.
17 governors announce clean energy, transportation agreement
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Governors from 17 states said Tuesday that they will work together to develop cleaner energy and transportation as they look to lead a national shift to renewable fuels.
The states vary widely in their approach and sources of fuel, but the bipartisan group said its goal is to cooperate on planning and policies.
The pact — known as the Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future — calls for embracing new energy solutions to expand the economy and protect the health of communities and natural resources.
“We believe that this is a robust driver of economic growth, not a brake on economic growth,” Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee said in a conference call with reporters.
The governors purposely avoided mentioning the divisive issue of climate change and instead concentrated on how states can cooperate, California Gov. Jerry Brown said.
He said that includes building more sophisticated, energy-efficient regional electrical grids; pooling buying power to get cheaper clean-energy vehicles for state fleets; and lobbying the federal government for more research and development on energy storage, clean fuels and the electric grid.
Other participating governors are from Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Senior advisers of the governors expect to meet soon to discuss the initial steps to meet the goals.
