Waimea fire contained; cause unknown

KAILUA-KONA — The Hawaii Fire Department continues to closely monitor a wildfire that laid waste to roughly 125 acres and a ranch shed Monday in Waimea.

Battalion Chief Darwin Okinaka said there was no active burning as of noon Tuesday, but small pockets of smoke were intermittently appearing across the burn site.

Personnel remain at the scene and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Weather conditions on the island haven’t helped the situation, and residents shouldn’t look for those conditions to improve markedly any time soon.

Maureen Ballard, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said a front is situated over Maui County but is dissipating as it moves along — limiting its potential to generate rainfall. She added that there are likely trade winds to follow, but they will be drier trades, probably creating only a few lighter afternoon showers.

The National Weather Service anticipated a drier winter following the reappearance of El Nino and the tropical storms it wrought in 2015. Ballard said the organization also is predicting fewer tropical cyclones this summer, which are the primary sources of rain in the drier summer season.

Email Max Dible at mdible@westhawaiitoday.com.