News Briefs: Hosmer Closed; Fire on Hāna Hwy; Kahului Power Outage
By Wendy Osher
High winds forced the closure of Hosmer Grove on Maui; a brush fire forced the temporary closure of the Hāna Highway in Wailua; and Kahului residents are experiencing an afternoon power outage. Highlights and updates are posted below.
Kahului Power Outage:
(Update: 5:11 p.m. 2/9/15) While power had been restored to all affected customers in Kahului as of 3:06 p.m., Maui Electric officials say the same circuit lost power again at 3:30 p.m. and was brought back online at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 9, 2015. The cause of the outages remain under investigation, however company officials say high winds appear to be a factor. The power outage was isolated to the Kahului area and affected an estimated 1,330 customers, beginning shortly after 2 p.m. The full story is posted at the following LINK.
Wailua Fire:
(Update: 6:50 p.m. 2/9/15) The Hāna Highway in the area of Wailua in East Maui is now completely open. It was limited to one lane of travel earlier this afternoon while firefighters battled a brush fire in the area.
(Update: 2:53 p.m. 2/9/15) Maui Police have re-established a contra-flow for traffic along the Hāna Highway between Mile 19 and 20 in the Wailua area of East Maui. Fire crews are currently working to douse a brush fire in the area.
(Update: 2:06 p.m. 2/9/15) The Hāna Highway is now CLOSED between Mile 19 and 20 in the Wailua area of East Maui due to a brush fire. There is no estimated time on when the road will reopen. We’ll keep you posted.
(Posted: 2:03 p.m. 2/9/15) Maui police are contra-flowing traffic on the Hāna Highway between Mile 19 and 20 in East Maui due to a brush fire in the area. Motorists are advised to proceed with caution.
High Winds Force Closure of Hosmer Grove:
(Posted: 1:49 p.m. 2/9/15) Hosmer Grove on Maui is closed due to high winds and downed trees. Officials at Haleakalā National Park will continue to monitor the situation and say the area will reopen when it is safe to do so. Maui County is currently under a Wind Advisory as a cold front approaches the state.