Afternoon Vehicle Fire Impedes Honoapiilani Traffic

File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A vehicle fire forced the temporary closure of the Honoapiilani Highway (Hwy 30) in Olowalu on Thursday afternoon.

Fire crews from Ladder 3 out of Lahaina responded to a report of the fire at 2:40 p.m. near mile marker 14 of the Highway along the mauka side of the road.

Maui Fire Capt. Paul Haake said that upon arrival on scene, fire personnel extinguished the blaze involving a pickup truck with no license plates and a small area of brush.

There were reports of an occupant within the vehicle prior to the fire occurring, but fire personnel say no one was within the vehicle and there were no injuries reported.

The fire forced the complete closure of the highway for about a half hour, and an additional temporary closure of 15 minutes with alternating one-lane traffic.

The cause of the fire was undetermined after investigation.