Stop Bombing Pohakuloa!,,,The Fire Before The Storm!
jim albertini
Stop Bombing Pohakuloa!
The Fire Before The Storm!
Most people are likely unaware that on Wed. Feb. 4, 2026 a fire was started in the Pohakuloa Bombing and Shelling “Impact Area” in the center of Hawaii Island that burned for several days. 1000 Marines were recently training at Pohakuloa. That fire started just a few days before the major storm hit Hawaii. Smoke from the fire at Pohakuloa can be seen below in a photo taken on Wed. Feb. 4th. WHY WAS THERE NO MEDIA COVERAGE OF THIS FIRE?
It appears Hawaii Island is very fortunate that fire didn’t spread beyond Pohakuloa by the gusty Trade winds (over 60 mph) blowing through the Saddle Area toward Waikoloa and Kona in the recent storm. But the danger is far from over. Fires can smolder and reignite days and weeks later, and it is important to know the history of the many fires started at Pohakuloa.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the military’s lease of State (really Crown & Government) lands at Pohakuloa was rejected by the BLNR on May 9, 2025. In that EIS, the military admitted starting 1281 wildfires at PTA in the last 50 years. They add, that records prior to 2012 are incomplete so the actual number of fires could be much higher. The military also added that with increasing extremes in climate change, the likelihood of wildfires will only increase. Some of those 1281 plus fires started on the 133,000 acre Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) spread beyond the base, destroying thousands of acres, including endangered species habitat. PTA is zoned a conservation district, the highest protected land status. Bombing and shelling training is not a compatible use in a conservation district.
Read the important statement from the Federal Fire Fighters of Hawai`i Union, Local 263 on the dangers of wildfires at Pohakuloa: https://malu-aina.org/?p=12026
No New PTA Lease, Cash Deal, Land Swap, etc.
Clean up & Shut Down Pohakuloa Now!
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-- Jim Albertini Malu 'Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Ola'a (Kurtistown) Hawai'i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email j...@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org