More than 200 homes had been under an evacuation order Monday as the wildfire spread between Hanapepe and Kaumakani.

A large brush fire in West Kauai has been 100% contained and the evacuation order for Kaumakani residents has been lifted, Kauai Fire Department said in an update late Monday.

The wildfire scorched approximately 1,000 acres of land between Hanapepe and Kaumakani.

Kauai authorities issued an emergency alert on Monday at 2:50 p.m. urging Kaumakani residents to evacuate. According to reports, more than 200 homes were under that evacuation warning and about 150 people were in the emergency shelters.

KFD said the fire was fully contained just before midnight and lifted the evacuation notice for Kaumakani residents.

Residents in Kaumakani are being urged to evacuate due to a fast-moving brush fire. (HNN viewer/Screenshot/2024)
Residents in Kaumakani were urged to evacuate Monday due to a fast-moving brush fire. (HNN viewer/Screenshot/2024)

Sensors have been installed in the area to detect flare-ups. Firefighters will conduct a re-assessment Tuesday morning.

Although residents are cleared to return to their homes, two shelters currently remain open — one at Waimea High School and one at Hanapepe Neighborhood Center.

Fire officials confirmed one structure in Kaumakani Camp was destroyed in the fire but no injuries have been reported. 

Meanwhile, a precautionary power outage remains in effect for parts of West Kauai and approximately 1,100 customers are without power.

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative de-energized powerlines serving portions of Hanapepe, Kaumakani, Pakala, Kekaha, Mana and Kokee. KIUC says crews will be working through the night to repair damaged poles and lines. They will be inspected before being re-energized.

Customers in Waimea are being encouraged to conserve power.

A water conservation notice was also issued by the Department of Water for customers from Hanapepe to Kekaha until further notice.

Smoke was billowing Monday from a wildfire in West Kauai as seen from the road near Kauai Coffee Company. (Ben Angarone/Civil Beat/2024)

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, serving as acting governor, signed an emergency proclamation authorizing the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and National Guard to assist in emergency response efforts.

Luke says it was the urgent call from Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami that prompted her quick response to deploy the National Guard to Kauai.

“If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of Mayor Kawakami, alerting me to the situation, the National Guard air support couldn’t have got here until tomorrow,” Luke said.

“We are just dealing with a very dry part of our island, and then we have a historic neighborhood filled with generational families, and those homes are very flammable, but our number one concern is the health and safety and life of our people,” Kawakami said.

Kaumualii Highway, between Lele Road in Hanapepe and Kaumakani near Aloha Sweet Delites, is now open for one lane of alternating traffic.

Firefighters from multiple agencies battled the fire on the ground and in the air. A bulldozer was also quickly utilized to cut a fire break away from homes.

One Hanapepe resident said the flames got within roughly 50 yards from their property.

“My daughter was hysterical,” Anthony Cruz said. “She came running out in the garage, and she said, ‘Dad, there’s a fire,’ and so I thought it was in the house, and she said, ‘no, it’s in the back.’”

While it’s not yet clear what started this fire, according to a preliminary report, Kauai Police Dispatch said it received a report of a fire in a field of dry bush west of Moi Road shortly before noon on Monday.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze is ongoing.

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