KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) -- Two Big Island brush fires that burned tens of thousands of acres and forced the evacuation of three-quarters of Waikoloa Village were contained Thursday afternoon, county officials said.
''Both have fire breaks completed around them and it is at the smoldering stage right now at both fires,'' Mayor Harry Kim said. ''All the burning is internal within those areas.''
A 39-square-mile blaze that pushed to within yards of some Waikoloa homes Tuesday no longer posed a threat to the community, acting Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency administrator Lanny Nakano said.
Residents and firefighters, however, were facing a secondary threat as strong winds began blowing dust and ash into the village. The state Department of Health Clean Air Division was called in Thursday to conduct an assessment.
The second blaze, sparked by a vehicle fire Tuesday night along both sides of Akoni Pule Highway northwest of Kawaihae, was confined to 2,500 acres, Nakano said.
Crews were monitoring hot spots, as kiawe tree roots continued to burn below ground level.
Fire crews acted quickly to save one home near that fire, which raced all the way to the shoreline in some areas.
Fire crews also saved all of the more than 2,000 residences that make up the bedroom community of Waikoloa Village, even as around three-quarters of the 6,500 residents were ordered to leave Tuesday afternoon, the day after the blaze began.
The village was reopened early Wednesday, and residents returned to find a heavy smoke smell and layers of ash. The only loss to the flames were some wooden fence posts behind Waikoloa Stables.
The 25,000-acre fire started Monday afternoon near Lalamilo Farms Lot to the north of Waikoloa Village. Fire inspectors are investigating its cause.
All roads in the areas of both fires were reopened by Thursday afternoon, although officials urged drivers to continue to use caution.
More than 150 county, state and federal firefighters and crews were praised by officials and residents.
''It feels to good to watch them all work together hand in glove,'' Kim said. ''I'm so proud of our community.''
Kim said various county departments were meeting to critique their responses and performance.
''I know we were very fortunate and I do want people to know that we recognize areas where we can be better and we will learn from this,'' Kim said.
Departments also were tallying up the cost of fighting both fires. The county could be reimbursed 75 percent of the cost by the Federal Emergency Management Agency if the costs associated with each fire topped $100,000.
Totals were not expected to be announced before next week, Nakano said.
