News alert, Saturday morning February 11, 2012, 10:30 a.m.:
Hawaii Fire Department fire crews are on scene at a possible flare-up of Tuesday’s brush fire in Kailua-Kona. Two units are on Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway just south of Nani Kailua Drive, dousing the hillside with water. Fire Dispatch said they had reports of smoke.
Fire experts say it is possible that an underground root or trunk smoldered since the fire. The initial fire was Tuesday afternoon, February 7, and consumed around 38 acres between Kailua View Estates and Kuakini Highway, causing evacuation of residents at The Pines, Kailua View Estates, and Hualalai Elderly Housing. But no structures were burned and there were no reported injuries. The Fire Department received wide praise for their work in swiftly attacking the fire and preventing serious or structural damage.
The cause of the initial fire is under investigation.
