Officials offer Haleakalā Crater Road fire updates, mental health resources for residents

At a noon press conference on Thursday, Mayor Richard Bissen reassured residents and offered updates on the Crater Road Fire that had burned through the night in upper Kula, near the entrance to Haleakalā National Park.

“On the brink of our one-year anniversary of our island’s wildfires, I realize as a community we are experiencing many different emotions, and any fire can be a very concerning and distressing situation for many of us,” Mayor Bissen said. “I want to assure you that the County and the State are collectively working together to maximize resources and most importantly, keep our community safe. The safety of our community is of the utmost importance, and I encourage everyone to remain calm and continue to monitor the situation.”

To address comments posted on social media throughout the fire response, where residents had expressed their feelings of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to last year’s August wildfire disaster, State Dept. of Health (DOH) expert Trever Davis shared tips for dealing with the complex layers of stress that this recent fire presented.

“Some ways to manage this stress are to focus on your daily routine, take breaks, spend time with family and friends, connect with your support system,” Davis said. As Project Director for the DOH Maui Behavioral Health Wildfire Response, Davis also recommended visiting the Maui Recovers websites (www.mauirecovers.org) and calling the State’s support line at (808) 446-6676 for guidance on resources that are available to residents. “Take time to practice acceptance, prayer and spiritual practices that have helped you in the past,” he said. “And should you or anyone you know need crisis support, the 24/7 number to call is 988.”

Fire Chief Brad Ventura noted that the fire had grown from one acre yesterday afternoon, to 420 acres today due to strong winds overnight and inaccessible gulches in the area. At the time of the press conference, Chief Ventura said there were five aircraft conducting water drops, five bulldozers cutting fire breaks to protect homes below the fire, numerous engines, water tanker trucks and personnel on the ground fighting the blaze, and two large helicopters from State Dept. of Defense on standby to provide additional air support. Resources and crews from County Fire and Public Works, National Parks Service, State Airports Division, State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources/DOFAW, Haleakalā Ranch, Mahi Pono, Goodfellow Bros., Inc. and Alpha Construction have been assisting with fire-fighting efforts.

Chief Ventura also indicated that while a Fire investigator had been on-scene since yesterday evening, due to windy conditions and the terrain involved it was not possible to determine cause and origin of the fire at this time.

Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Administrator Amos Lonokailua-Hewett outlined MEMA’s role as providing coordination and support to allow partner agencies to respond in a unified command structure. He also said that MEMA has been deploying enhanced technology to map out potential evacuation zones and routes, monitor weather conditions, and track aircraft resource positioning in real-time. Administrator Lonokailua-Hewett also highlighted how public notifications would occur should evacuations become necessary.

“If the spread of fire is expected to hit residential areas within a two-hour mark, we have a trigger of notification; if it hits a one-hour mark, we also have a trigger of notification,” he said. We will use every tool in our arsenal to communicate to the public to give timely information, and keep everybody safe.”

Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke, who traveled to Maui Thursday morning, noted that the unified command responding to the fire was a “solid team” that was highly skilled in fire suppression. “You have many qualified experts here,” she said. “Mahalo to everyone who has been on the ground since last night, especially the individuals who have been fighting fires since 6 p.m., 7 p.m. last night. Some of them worked through the night, and we just can’t thank them enough, thank them and their families, and thank the Maui County staff and personnel, some of whom stayed all   night. Mahalo (to) the County of Maui for your efforts in controlling and containing this recent wildfire.” 

Luke issued a State emergency proclamation early Thursday morning; shortly thereafter, Mayor Bissen issued a County emergency proclamation at 7:20 a.m. on July 11. This 10th emergency proclamation relating to wildfires is a supplement to the Emergency Proclamation issued on June 10, 2024, relating to Kula Crater Fire. This proclamation authorizes the County to access federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for emergency response efforts to ensure continued and effective countywide response.

The proclamation suspends laws that might impede or delay the execution of emergency functions. This 10th emergency proclamation relating to wildfires is a supplement to the Emergency Proclamation issued on June 10, 2024, relating to Kula Crater Fire. This proclamation authorizes the County to access federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for emergency response efforts to ensure continued and effective countywide response. The proclamation suspends laws that might impede or delay the execution of emergency functions.

For more information on resources available to residents, visit https://www.mauirecovers.org.