Hawaii Brush Fires Ruin 7 Homes, Force Hundreds to Flee

PUAKO, Hawaii — Fire crews on Friday contained the second of two huge brush fires that destroyed at least seven houses, damaged many others and forced several hundred people from their homes on the island of Hawaii, authorities said.

Officials were checking reports that a beach campfire or backyard barbecue started the blaze, which charred about 1,800 acres on Hawaii’s northwest coast.

The flames, whipped by erratic, 20- to 25-m.p.h. winds, burned about 600 acres Friday and frustrated more than 300 firefighters who thought they had contained the fire on Thursday.

At about midday, winds shifted and the fire jumped the firebreak, destroying a seventh home in the scattered rural development.

Residents of the area who were evacuated Wednesday night still were not allowed back on Friday.

The fire raced through kiawe forests to within “half a football field” of the Mauna Lani Resort, officials said. Some guests with respiratory problems were moved.

There were no reports of serious injuries, although about a dozen firefighters were slightly hurt. Damage from the fire was expected to exceed $1 million.