A fire in remote Waimanu Valley is apparently under control, state officials said early this evening.
Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said the fire west of Waipio Valley was 90% contained this morning, and was expected to be totally contained by nightfall.
A crew of 17 firefighters from the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife has been working since Sunday to establish a containment line around the slow-burning wildfire, Ward said.
The fire has been burning through accumulated leaf litter and other organic materials known as duff that has accumulated under ironwood and other trees.
The fire has charred about two acres, Ward said. An earlier report from county firefighters apparently incorrectly described the burned area as being larger.
County firefighters, assisted by water drops from a fire department helicopter, helped to fight the fire on Sunday, the day it was discovered.
Ward said the nine-mile-long Muliwai Trail which leads from Waipio to Waimanu is closed, and no camping permits for Waimanu are currently being issued.
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