On Sunday, October 9, a fire broke out at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park’s newly acquired Kahuku-Pōhue parcel.  Due to a coordinated response from Hawaiʻi County and National Park Service firefighter crews, the fire was extinguished.

The Hawaiʻi County Fire Department arrived first and used a brush truck and two tankers from Ocean View and Pāhala to put out the fire followed by a National Park Service hand crew that completed the final patrol and mop-up of the fire, according to Greg Funderburk, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Fire Management Officer.

Park law enforcement is investigating the cause of the fire, which is still unknown.

The incident is a reminder that public access to Kahuku-Pōhue parcel is currently not permitted. Until interim operating procedures are completed, and safe access protective of cultural and natural resources can be ensured, public access is temporarily restricted. There are no bathroom facilities, no formalized parking or capacity for trash removal, and emergency response is very limited.

For more information on the Kahuku-Pōhue parcel visit https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/historyculture/kahuku-pohue.htm.

Photo credit:HVNP