08/22/2026
100 acres burned. No injuries reported.
That second line did not happen by luck.
On Thursday, August 20, the Kauaʻi Fire Department responded to a brush fire in Wainiha, in the area of ʻAnanalu and Anahulu roads. It was reported shortly before 1:25 p.m. As of 7:10 p.m., KFD said the fire had burned approximately 100 acres.
Personnel from the Hanalei, Kaiākea, Kapaʻa and Līhuʻe stations responded, with Tender 3, Engine 2, and Air 1, Air 2 and Air 3. Videos showed Air 1 conducting water drops in the area. Firefighters established a barrier between the fire and nearby structures. The Kauaʻi Police Department provided traffic control, with Kūhiō Highway closed near ʻAnanalu Road. The Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency monitored.
These are your neighbors. They live here too. On Thursday afternoon they left whatever they were doing, pulled on their gear, and went to work on a fire in their own community.
KFD said the fire was under control that evening, and that crews would remain on scene for mop up and an overnight fire watch. That last part is the part nobody sees. The smoke thins, the island goes to bed, and a crew stays out there in the dark watching the ground to be sure it stays out.
No injuries were reported. No damage to nearby buildings was reported.
To every firefighter who worked this one, and to the families who waited up for them, mahalo! Thank you for the years of training you put in long before anyone needed it, and for giving your community every hour this fire asked of you.
