Fire Crews Wrap Up Latest Big Island Brush Fire

Hawai´i county reopened Saddle Road Sunday following a two-day battle with a brush fire.

The blaze was initially reported Friday afternoon near the 48 mile-marker Daniel K. Inouye Highway. The road was closed shortly after, as crews from the Hawai´i Fire Department (HFD), the State Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and the US Army fought the flames.

The fire was ultimately contained at around 1:30 pm Sunday, at which point Saddle Road was reopened following the two-day closure. All told, the brush fire consumed approximately 320 acres, according to HFD.

It was the latest in a string of brush fires, including a five-acre blaze that ignited Wednesday, Aug. 11 in approximately the same area as the one doused Sunday.

The largest brush fire in the history of Hawai´i County, which began near Mana Road in the same region of the Big Island and is believed to have consumed somewhere between 40,000-50,000 acres, began on July 30 and burned for several days. It ultimately resulted in the evacuation of three communities, including Waikoloa Village, before it was stamped out.