(HANAPĒPĒ, KAUA‘I) – Two dozen federal, state, and county firefighters have completed what is known as ignition training. It will become another tool in the box for Hawai‘i wildland firefighters who anticipate more frequent and more ferocious fires due to the impacts of global climate change.
Wildfire
(HONOLULU) — This year’s series of wildfires on Maui, Hawai‘i Island, and O‘ahu raised awareness about this threat to a new level. It is reflected in the proposed budget Governor Josh Green, M.D., submitted to the state Legislature yesterday.
(HONOLULU) – Firefighters from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) continue providing support for the Honolulu Fire Dept. (HFD), and military firefighters trying to bring the Mililani Mauka Fire under control.
(WAIHOU SPRING FOREST RESERVE, MAUI) – Two days shy of the two-month anniversary of the start of the 1,000-acre Olinda Fire, daily fire patrols continue. Firefighters from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) continue checking for hot spots and smokers.
(HONOLULU) - Three grant opportunities to assist landowners in reducing fire risk and restoring landscapes are now open and accepting applications via the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW). The opportunities include Landscape Scale Restoration grants, Community Wildfire Defense grants, and Wildland-Urban Interface grants. All three opportunities are funded by the US Forest Service and full details are available through the Hawaiʻi Awards and Notices Data System.
(LAHAINA, MAUI) – Remote automatic weather stations (RAWS) have been installed recently in Lahaina in areas with invasive grasses that can be vulnerable to wildfires. The technology enables the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) to collect data to predict fire behavior and monitor fire-stoking fuels.
(WAIMEA, HAWAI’I ISLAND) - As many as 1,000 people were expected to attend a wildfire fair today, organized by the Waimea Resilience Hub, at the Mana Christian 'Ohana's Kahilu Town Hall. Planning for the fair began last winter, well in advance of wildfires on Hawai’i Island and recent ones on Maui, including the blaze that leveled Lāhainā town and killed more than 100 people, with five dozen others still unaccounted for.
(WAIHOU SPRING FOREST RESERVE, MAUI) – Indicative of serious drought conditions, in upcountry Maui, is the need for daily attention along the fire lines of the 1,000-acre Olinda fire. It started the same day, August 8, as the devastating fire that leveled Lāhainā town and left hundreds dead or unaccounted for.
(WAIHOU SPRINGS FOREST RESERVE, MAUI) – Firefighters with the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) report today that the Olinda Fire in upcountry Maui is now 85% contained.
(HONOLULU) – Severe drought conditions are now impacting the southern and western coastal areas of Maui. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor weekly reporting, this is the first time the severe drought designation has been noted in Hawai‘i this summer.