Kihei life

We saw smoke on the windmill ridge from Wailea.  Within 2 hours, social media had reports of a small brush fire…that spread…4100 acres

THIS WEEK:

https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2019/10/fire-blackens-over-4100-acres/

FOLLOWS the major brush fire in the valley in July….10,000 acres

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-07-12/residents-allowed-to-return-home-after-maui-fire-burns-10-000-acres

Controlled burns of debris from sugar cane grown in the valley have been business as usual on Maui for decades.  Sugar cane was irrigated.  Every third or fourth year in a rotation, the exhausted plants were burned and the field replanted.  Since sugar cane has been discontinued (no irrigation), brush took over.  The land is still designated agricultural use.  Test plots evaluated with a variety of different crops expected to be cultivated.