Hawaiʻi National Guard deployed Black Hawk to support wildfire response on Big Island

The Hawaiʻi National Guard Black Hawk helicopter flew 22 aerial firefighting missions on Sunday in support of crews battling the Kawaihae Road wildfire on Hawaiʻi Island, dropping more than 14,500 gallons of water on the blaze.

The helicopter was deployed at the request of Hawaiʻi County through the Hawaiʻi National Guard’s Operation Hoʻopauahi, a program that provides aerial firefighting support to county and state emergency responders during wildfires.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, the state’s adjutant general, said the aircraft responded quickly and worked alongside the Hawaiʻi Fire Department to target areas where water drops were most needed.

“Our Black Hawk responded immediately, worked alongside the Hawaiʻi Fire Department and coordinated fire suppression water bucket drops where they were needed most,” Logan said.

Operation Hoʻopauahi, which means “to extinguish fire,” maintains helicopters and aircrews in a ready status to provide rapid firefighting assistance statewide. The Hawaiʻi National Guard has three helicopters positioned to support counties in containing wildfires before they grow larger.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Paul Angeleo, one of the Black Hawk pilots assigned to Sunday’s mission, said previous training and experience with county firefighters helped streamline operations.

“Working with the Hawaiʻi Fire Department last wildfire season enabled us to get into a real good rhythm for this Kawaihae fire,” Angeleo said. “The coordination and communication with all of our partners made this mission easy, safe, and effective.”

The helicopter operated from about 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. before being released from the incident after fire officials reported the blaze was 65% contained and forecasted weather conditions were expected to aid suppression efforts.