FILE VIDEO: Air Maui Helicopters Director of Operations Richard Olsten flew over Lahaina for the first time after the deadly wildfires killed more than 100 people one year ago. When the wildfires started, Olsten’s aerial images were some of the first to show the devastating fires burning.
MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii – Evacuations were ordered for the homestead of Kahikinui on Hawaii‘s island of Maui on Sunday after a wind-driven brush fire quickly spread.
Maui County Fire Department said the fire sparked around 10 a.m. in the Kahikinui area around Mile Marker 24 and 25.
A brush fire burning on Maui on Sunday, June 15, 2025 leading to evacuations.
(Maui County Emergency management)
“The fire is currently moving up the mountain, pushed by strong winds,” the Maui County Fire Department said on X.
The Kahikinui brush fire is estimated to be about 20 acres and uncontrolled.
The fire is moving upslope into challenging terrain, fueled by high winds, officials said. According to the National Weather Service in Honolulu, winds near Kahikinui were gusting near 20 mph with higher gusts near 50 mph.
MAUI WILDFIRE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS HEROICS OF FIREFIGHTERS DURING DEADLY WIND-WHIPPED FIRESTORM
About an hour after the fire started, Maui County Emergency Management (MEMA) issued an emergency evacuation order for mile marker 24 in Kahikinui. The evacuations included 30 to 40 homes, according to MEMA.
Residents were notified through the new Genasys Protect App, MEMA Alerts and emergency officials going door-to-door.
Maui Police have shut down Pi’ilani Highway (Hawaii Route 31) from mile marker 20 to 41 due to the firefight.
The American Red Cross set up a temporary evacuation point at Grandma’s Coffee House on Kula Highway in Ulupalakua.
No injuries or structural damage were reported as of Sunday afternoon, according to Maui County Emergency Management.
Less than two years ago, Maui County experienced the deadliest fire in modern U.S. history and Hawaii’s worst natural catastrophe when wind-whipped fires swept through communities including Lahaina, destroying everything in their path and claiming at least 102 lives in the coastal town.
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