MEDIA RELEASE 8/22/10 11:10 a.m.
Hawaii Police Department advises you to AVOID traveling on Saddle Road due to brush fire located at the 33 mile post marker (Pohakuloa area) on Saddle Road. Saddle Road is blocked at the 8 mile post marker just above the top entrance of Kaumana City subdivision, and Saddle Road and Route 190 (Waimea intersection), for an undermined period of time, motorist are being advised to seek alternative routes, if possible.
UPDATED 8/22/10 9:15 p.m.
Hawaii County Department of Public Works is manning a detour on Saddle Road, at near mile marker 28, vehicles are being detoured to use the old section of Saddle Road.
Presently Saddle Road open, the fire is not contained.
UPDATED 8/22/10 10:25 p.m.
The Saddle Road and Mauna Kea access road are both closed due to the brushfire near mile marker 33 jumping three firebreaks. The fire is moving towards Mauna Kea State Park.
Roadblocks have been set-up at the 8 mile marker in Kaumana and the Highway 190 – Saddle Road intersection in West Hawaii. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes. There is no reported estimate on when the road may re-open.
The smoke plume from the brushfire can be seen drifting westward in this satellite image take Sunday (Aug 22) at 12:16 p.m. HST. Image courtesy of NRL Monterey.
Latest sequence of satellite images taken of the Big Island.
I have actual pistures taken at 1:33pm on Sunday while being escorted by the PTA Police trhu the location of the fire.
PTA Employee