Firefighters on Maui had largely gotten a large brush fire under control Friday when a new fire to the north broke out, officials said.
The new fire near a business park in Kahului, on the north side of the island, was reported around 1:30 p.m. When fire crews arrived, they found a “well-involved brush fire,” Maui Fire Department’s Fire Services Chief Rylan Yatsushiro said.
“We thought we had pretty much one controlled, then a new one just broke out,” Maui County Mayor Mike Victorino said at a news conference.
No injuries in either fire have been reported.
The original brush fire started Thursday in south Maui, prompting evacuation orders and burning approximately 9,000 acres of former sugar cane land and brush, officials said.
Residents were allowed to return Friday, and by Friday morning, the blaze was 20 percent contained, the county said in statement.
The new fire caused a Lowes to close down and the area had to be evacuated, the mayor said. A post office and school in the area were evacuated.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation declaring a disaster area, which enables the state to provide quick relief and authorizes the spending of state funds.
Victorino said the fire had damaged the electricity grid, and Maui Electric was asking residents to conserve power Friday evening to prevent a possible power outage or brownout.
Some roads were also closed.
Authorities with the Hawaii National Guard said eight 20-foot shipping containers that are used to store equipment outside of the Pu’unene Armory have been damaged by the wildfire, NBC affiliate KHNL reported.
The mandatory evacuations from Thursday’s brush fire affected Maalaea and north Kihei, which is on the southwestern part of western Maui.
The area near the new fire is Kahului on the northern part of Maui, and the town has a population of around 26,300.
“It is a fluid situation because things are moving very rapidly,” Victorino said Friday afternoon.