NORTH KONA — Firefighters battled five brush fires Thursday afternoon along Highway 190, also known as Mamalahoa Highway, in North Kona and South Kohala.
NORTH KONA — Firefighters battled five brush fires Thursday afternoon along Highway 190, also known as Mamalahoa Highway, in North Kona and South Kohala.
The brush fires were located near mile markers 22, 19, 16 and 15.5 and the highway’s intersection with Waikoloa Road in South Kohala. Most of the fires were located on the makai side of the road, except the fire near mile marker 15.5.
The fire near the that mile marker was estimated at 25 acres, while the remaining four blazes were kept small because of favorable conditions and quick response times. The fire burned primarily on state Department of Land and Natural Resources land.
The roadway, which provides a mauka route between Waimea and Kailua-Kona, reopened about 5:30 p.m. after being closed a couple of hours between Kaiminani Drive in North Kona and the Daniel K. Inouye Highway in South Kohala.
The Hawaii Police Department asked anyone with information regarding suspicious activity relative to these fires to call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.
Email Laura Ruminski at lruminski@westhawaiitoday.com.