Wildfires in Paʻauilo impact two farms run by kupunahine over the weekend

Two family-run farms on the Hāmākua Coast were devastated when a brush fire reignited in Paʻauilo on Friday.

KiTeya Belford-Smith thought he and his mother, Cynthia Waymegwance, were in the clear on Friday after a brush fire broke out on Thursday around 2:40 p.m. makai of Highway 19 in Paʻauilo.

“When the fire started to make its way up the mountain on Thursday, some friends and I spent two hours wetting all our buildings down, moving flammable things off the property. We just hoped we would be able to save the buildings,” Belford-Smith said. “Meanwhile helicopters were dropping buckets from the reservoir and the firefighters got most of it.”

After talking with the Hawaiʻi Fire Department, which had personnel present in the area, Belford-Smith decided to go to work on Friday since the fire had mostly been taken care of.

However, the same fire reignited in Paʻauilo around 4 p.m. on Friday, prompting a wildfire warning and an immediate evacuation for residences between mile markers 36 and 39 of Highway 19.

“It was late in the afternoon when I received a bunch of calls and messages about the fire, and it scared me. I knew my mom was down there, so I raced to the farm and was stuck in traffic until I told the officer that my 79-year-old mom was in the area,” Belford-Smith said. “When I got to the farm, most of the burning was over, but there were still areas with flames that I spent two nights putting out.”

To stop the fires from reaching any buildings or causing more damage, the Hawaiʻi Fire Department destroyed fencing with bulldozers, melted or broke thousands of feet of irrigation lines, and damaged farm roads through the Paʻauilo–Lower Kalōpā area.

“We were all thankful the Fire Department was able to stop the fire before it burned any homes, however, the fence and water lines were damaged when the fire broke out in the lower orchard,” Belford-Smith said. “The bulldozers were able to stop the fire, but they did destroy water lines, which will take a lot of work to dig up and inspect.”

While the fire burned some of the trees, the water lines were able to protect a few as well. Over Friday night, Belford-Smith barely slept as he monitored the farm for any smoldering spots through Saturday morning.

Between Thursday and Saturday, the Hawaiʻi Fire Department responded to three fires on the Hāmākua Coast and there were no injuries reported.

“We are all deeply grateful for how much [the firefighters] were able to save from devastation, but years of work were set back in an instant. Without fences, crops and orchards are at risk from roaming animals. Without irrigation, the plants cannot survive,” the farmers said on the GoFundMe.

To help alleviate the costs of fencing and water lines, a longtime friend Lars Burgess set up a GoFundMe on behalf of Waymegwance, and the owner of an adjacent farm, Susan.

“Each farm grows and sells a variety of native trees, fresh produce, and cacti for our community and to aid in reforestation efforts,” Burgess said. “Any help will ultimately keep fresh food on local tables and continue the care of the ʻāina.”

Waymegwance’s farm is part of the Hāmakua Agricultural Cooperative, which holds master leases for approximately 1,000 acres of land located between Paʻauilo and Honokaʻa owned by the State of Hawai‘i. The land has been divided into 100 farms ranging in size from 3 to 20 acres

On Friday, crews contained 75% of the fire at 6:13 p.m., which is estimated to have burned about 180 acres.

“My mom and Susan have both been so grateful to people who have reached out to support and help in any way they can,” Belford-Smith said. “It’s overwhelming, but now we’re going to focus on being productive for our community the best we can.”

Visit the GoFundMe to donate toward rebuilding essential farm infrastructure, including restoring water to the orchards, replacing fences, and repairing roads.