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Kahikinui wildfire prompts evacuation orders and urgent pleas from homesteaders; DHHL says it is monitoring
Summary
Witnesses and homestead leaders reported fast-moving fires threatening Kahikinui and other homesteads; DHHL staff said the department is "closely monitoring" the situation, coordinating with emergency responders and providing updates to beneficiaries.
Several beneficiaries used the public-testimony period to report an active wildfire near Kahikinui and to ask the commission for emergency action. Testifiers described rapid fire spread, evacuations and local firefighting operations.
Iman Kalai Manawole, co-manager of Manapona LLC and native-Hawaiian advocacy representative, asked the commission to treat the Kahikinui incident with urgency and to consider emergency proclamations or actions to expedite department response. He told the commission the region has experienced severe wildfire threats before and said multiple homestead communities across the state are at risk from drought and extreme weather.
Donna Sterling, speaking from a local homestead command center, provided an on-the-ground update: she described a fast-escalating fire that prompted an evacuation order the morning before the meeting, a heavy aircraft and dozer response, four to five helicopters at one point, dozers and bulldozers onsite, and use of private water tanks and Bambi buckets for aerial drops. Sterling said no homes were lost and that Red Cross and county resources were providing water and supplies for responders. She also asked for distribution of N95 respirators for downwind residents concerned about smoke exposure.
A DHHL representative told the commission the department is "closely monitoring the Kahikinui situation" and has been providing timely updates; the representative said there had been no structural damage to homestead buildings at the time of reporting and that residents were placed in protective situations.
Why it matters: Wildfire and drought present immediate safety risks for homestead residents and can threaten structures, water infrastructure and long-term habitability. Beneficiaries asked the agency to be proactive and to treat homestead emergencies with urgency rather than routine procedures.
Follow-up: DHHL staff said the agency had convened a symposium on wildfire preparedness and is coordinating with county and state firefighting agencies; commissioners asked staff to continue timely communications to affected residents and to report back to the commission on any departmental emergency actions.
