by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:30 AM ET, Thu October 24, 2019
The Kapalua Airport in Hawaii reopened Wednesday after a brush fire forced the facility to close and evacuate.
According to Hawaii News Now, the Hawaiian airport was closed Tuesday after a fire burning in the West Maui-area damaged power lines and forced planes to depart before a mandatory evacuation order was enacted.
All remaining flights scheduled to depart were grounded and incoming planes were diverted to other airports. The Hawaii Department of Transportation said the blaze started just above the airport.
The Maui Fire Department battled the fire on Tuesday morning as Kahana Ridge and Ala Hoku residents were evacuated. The airport was evacuated by 2:30 p.m. local time but reopened at 6 a.m. Wednesday with electricity and telephone service restored.
Airport officials were advising passengers to call their airlines to determine if their flights were delayed or canceled. By Wednesday night, first responders had the fire 45 percent contained.
"I want to extend another heartfelt mahalo to our first responders and American Red Cross for their tireless work today," Maui Mayor Michael Victorino told local media. "I continue to applaud our public and private partners for coming together to help our community."
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