UPDATE: Brush fire near Puʻunēnē Armory, Maui Veterans Highway now OPEN

The Maui Veterans Highway fronting the Puʻunēnē National Guard Armory is now OPEN in both directions following to a large brush fire. The closure went into effect at around 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2022, and the road was reopened shortly after 4 p.m.

Of the multiple fires reported in Central Maui today, the one along the Maui Veterans Highway is the largest, burning an estimated five acres. At around 4:11 p.m., witnesses said the highway was open, but traffic slowed near the Armory where crews were still working on getting the blaze extinguished.

It was contained within an hour or so, according to Maui Fire officials. MFD crews were assisted by Mahi Pono, which provided heavy equipment support to cut a control line around the fire perimeter.

This was the sixth of multiple fires reported across Central Maui on Thursday afternoon. Maui Fire Department confirmed that the seven fire calls today between a 90-minute time span in Central Maui are suspicious in nature and under investigation. More details are available here.

*If you have images of news happening on Maui that you would like to share, send them to us at [email protected].