Fires Burn Brush at Wailuku Mac Nut Fields

File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Three fires were reported in the Central Maui area during the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day holiday.

The first burned an 800 square-foot area of brush in Wailuku.  The brush fire was reported at 9:09 p.m. on Monday, December 31, 2012, along the Kahekili Highway near Makaala Drive in the macadamia nut fields.

Crews from the Maui Fire Department’s Engine 1, Tanker 10, and Relief Engine 13 responded to the scene.  The fire was brought under control at 9:40 p.m., and extinguished at 9:57 p.m.  No damages or injuries were reported.

Fire crews returned to Makaala Drive at 1:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day for a report of a brush fire near the previous incident.  The later fire burned an estimated 900-square feet of brush.  Authorities say the fire was brought under control at 1:35 a.m., and extinguished at 1:57 a.m.

A separate fire destroyed a 600 square foot cottage at 51 Kono Place in Kahului, resulting in an estimated $152,000 in damage to the cottage, and $25,000 in damage to an adjacent structure that was under construction and unoccupied.  The fire was reported shortly after 9:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.  The cause of the fire remained under investigation at last report.  Full video and details of the incident are posted at the following direct LINK.