Another Brush Fire In Waianae Valley!

[Nathan P Yuen]

Today, I climbed up to the top of Mt Ka'ala for one last time before the
State blocks access to the Waianae Mountains tomorrow in an attempt to
prevent brush fires. Much to my surprise, there was brush fire in the
back of Waianae Valley when I came down!

What a shock to see the brushy area makai of the salvage yard at the
gate to the forest reserve up in flames! I had to run down on the
concrete road for about a 100 yards with flames shooting some 8-10 feet
off the ground to my right. The concrete road acted as a fire break so the
flames were only on the makai side on the road as I made my mad dash for
safety. Fortunately it was not a windy day and the heat was bearable as I
sprinted down towards the gate. Conditions could have been mush worse.
There were 2 other groups still on Ka'ala when I left the summit. I hope
they make it out alright.

Lucky for me, I was almost out when the fire started. I saw no flames when
I left the summit or when I reached the 3-utility poles. I only saw smoke
as I made my way down the concrete road. I heard fire engine sirens and I
made to my car before the first fire truck arrived at the gate. Amazingly,
my car suffered no damage despite the fire being no more than a few feet
away! What luck! I hope the others on Ka'ala are just as lucky.

-- o o _ _
\ / ' ` 2003 is Year of the Hawaiian Forest!
|/ / _ \ Check out the calendar celebrating the
(` \ ' ' \ ' beauty of native Hawaiian landscapes and
\ \| | @_/ | ecosystems at "http://hawaiianforest.com".
\ \ \ /--/
` _ _ __ _ ' Nathan Yuen <ny...@lava.net>