KAANAPALI, Maui (KHON2) — At around 11:40 a.m., a brush fire in Ka’anapali was reported, and by 1:20 p.m., the Maui Emergency Management Agency issued an evacuation order throughout Ka’anapali.
Private roads in Ka’anapali Golf Estate and Old Stuart Road were opened for public use.
48 minutes after the Evacuation order, the fire’s progress was stopped and fire intensity was significantly reduced. Crews remained on the scene.
With this fire coming less than a week after the Tsunami warning, and a few days before the two-year anniversary of the Lahaiana fires, some residents say that the evacuation order and seeing the brush fire came with a lot of extra stress.
“With the tsunami evacuations happening, now this fire, and Friday being the two-year anniversary, it’s just a lot,” said Blake Ramelb, a West Maui resident. “Personally, my heart started skipping really fast and I got a bunch of anxiety and it’s like, who do I call? I just started calling everybody just to see if they needed help.”
However, Ramelb says that though recent events may be fresh on everybody’s mind, it won’t stop residents from banding together in trying times.
“We’re in this together in some shape or form,” said Ramelb. “We’re still Lahaina strong and all of that and we’re going to get through it.”
Check out more news from around Hawaii
The brush fire burned a total of 33 acres.