2023-08-27 06:39:04
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — An evacuation order following a wildfire that tore through 10 acres on the Hawaiian island of Maui was suspended Saturday by emergency officials.
The fire prompted Maui authorities to temporarily evacuate residents that day from a neighborhood in the town of Lahaina, just a few miles from the recent fire-ravaged site, before firefighters brought it under control.
The Maui County Emergency Management Agency announced on social media that the evacuation came to an end at 5 p.m. and residents were free to return home.
Firefighters battled the flames from a helicopter and also with hoses on the ground, said John Heggie, a spokesman for the Maui County Joint Information Center.
The county said in an online post that the fire no longer posed an active threat, but firefighters are still working the area and evacuees should stay away until it is safe to return.
The evacuation order had covered a small number of homes in the hills behind the hotels in the Kaanapali resort. It is unknown how many people were affected.
At least 115 people died and 2,000 structures were destroyed when a fire ripped through downtown Lahaina on Aug. 8. There has been very little rain and the area suffers from drought.
The fire was exacerbated by strong trade winds fueled in part by Hurricane Dora, which passed 500 miles (800 kilometers) south of Maui.
The National Weather Service is forecasting breezes between 3 and 8 mph (4.8 to 12 kph) for Lahaina on Saturday followingnoon.
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