Honolulu firefighters had a 95-acre wildfire in Maili 75% contained Sunday night after it led to the mass evacuation of Leeward Coast residents, resulted in a 94-year-old woman being treated for smoke inhalation and burned two homes.
City officials Sunday night told people who evacuated to remain out of the evacuation area until further notice. Those who stayed should remain in place, the city said.
Some Maili residents, including Council member Andria Tupola, said they never received any notice to evacuate.
“I live pretty close to the fire and I did not get an evacuation order,” Tupola said. “I heard there was a radio announcement and some people got texts. But it mostly spread on social media.”
If she had not been contacted by state Rep. Darius Kila (D, Nanakuli-Maili) or Gov. Josh Green, Tupola said, “I don’t think I would have known about the fire.”
But Kevin Miller, 58, was awakened by his cellphone with an alert to evacuate at 3:37 p.m.
He was napping inside a house on Kulaaupuni Street, which began filling with smoke.
A Honolulu Police Department officer then arrived and told everyone to leave.
“So I got out of there,” Miller later said Sunday night at the Waianae Intermediate School cafeteria that had been pressed into service as an emergency evacuation center, while vehicles continued to pour out of the Leeward Coast along Farrington Highway and Paakea Road.
Miller was one of about 20 evacuees at Waianae Intermediate School, including Abdallah Mwamakatwe, 53, who also said he had received no evacuation order.
He lives on the grounds of the Samoan Methodist Church on Paakea Road with an extended family that began to smell — and then see — smoke in the home about 3 p.m.
Three cousins — ages 9, 12 and 17 — tried to escape by climbing over the backyard fence, which neighbors had to break down to give them an escape route.
“I never yelled that loud for help in my life,” Laina Tuinavave, 17, said at the evacuation center.
The cousins said they were still shocked and traumatized Sunday night and had not had time to cry.
Mwamakatwe, 53, was the last to flee the home and drove his Ford Bronco to reunite with his family at Maili Beach Park with only his cellphone.
“I’m glad we’re all alive,” he said. “I didn’t take anything. I’m just happy we came alive.”
Kila said that two Maili homes may have burned, and Council member Tupola said that she understood that at least “one family had lost everything.”
The city said only that “some structure damage” had been reported Sunday night.
Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said it treated a 94-year-old woman who suffered smoke inhalation and transported her in critical condition to an emergency room.
Kila — one of many city, state and Neighborhood Board members who continue to advocate for another major route out of the Leeward Coast during an emergency — said Sunday’s evacuation under the direction of HPD went orderly and the military remained on standby to open its Kolekole Pass as another evacuation route, if necessary.
Kila said it appeared that state, city and military officials were coordinating efforts.
“I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the quick activation,” he said.
The order to evacuate was appropriate, Kila said, especially given the dry conditions as the Leeward Coast continues to dry out this summer, along with the leeward sides of all islands.
“I’d rather be safe than sorry,” he said. “I would rather us exercise safety than not.”
Hawaiian Electric turned off power to 30 Maili homes in the fire area at the request of the Honolulu Fire Department, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Darren Pai said.
Sunday’s fire represented the latest response to Hawaii wildfires following the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires that killed 102 people and caused an estimated $13 billion in damage.
The Maui wildfires were ignited when high winds knocked over a Hawaiian Electric utility pole overloaded with technology equipment that toppled over and ignited overgrown brush mauka of Lahaina town.
Maui County firefighters thought they had extinguished the initial blaze, then left to respond to a different incident, only to discover that the smoldering fire broke out and raced down to Lahaina town, where fleeing residents’ escape routes were blocked by other downed utility poles knocked over by high winds.
Survivors complained that no tsunami warning alarms went off and Maui police did not broadcast evacuation orders from their patrol cars.
The evacuation along Farrington Highway and Paakea Road on Sunday night appeared orderly as Honolulu police officers regulated traffic, Kila said.
State Rep. Diamond Garcia (R, Ewa-Kapolei) said that HPD officers Sunday night warned people over their patrol vehicles’ loud speakers to evacuate.
“HPD has done a phenomenal job with their loud speakers,” Garcia said.
The state Department of Education announced Sunday night that the wildfire forced it to pause its free summer meals program during shelter use and Maili Elementary’s summer meal service will be closed today because of road closures.
For alternative meal sites, visit go.hidoe.us/2025summermeals.
Also Sunday night, Hawaiian Electric said that power would remain off for approximately 330 customers in Upcountry Maui until “hazardous conditions improve.”
Hawaiian Electric shut off power Sunday as part of its Public Safety Power Shutoff program following high winds and dry conditions.
The utility said that power lines and other utility equipment must be inspected and any damage must be repaired before restoring power.
The work could involve ground crews and aerial inspections using helicopters and drones, Hawaiian Electric said Sunday night.
“We sincerely apologize and ask for our customers’ continued patience,” Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president and chief operations officer, said in a statement. “The safety of the public and our crews is our top priority. We will work as quickly as possible to ensure power can be restored safely without creating any additional hazards.”
Hawaiian Electric said it may shut off power in communities with “high exposure to wildfire risk during severe weather conditions. Customers in these areas are urged to implement their own emergency plans and prepare for the possibility of extended power outages.”
Source: The Garden Island
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