The Hawaii National Guard provided Hawaii County with helicopter support Sunday to help fight the Kawaihae Road Fire.

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From about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Black Hawk helicopter conducted 22 fire-suppressing missions, totaling over 14,520 gallons of water dropped on the fire.

“The Hawaii National Guard’s Operation Ho‘opauahi was on display Sunday to support Hawaii County in fighting a wildfire,” Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, Hawaii adjutant general, said in a press release. “Our Black Hawk responded immediately, worked alongside the Hawaii Fire Department, and coordinated fire suppression water bucket drops where they were needed most.”

Operation Ho‘opauahi (to extinguish fire) keeps air crews ready to provide aerial firefighting capabilities to augment county and state level first responder elements.

Three Hawaii National Guard helicopters are postured to fly and quickly support any county in the state, which increases capacity to contain and extinguish a fire in its early stage.

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Chief Warrant Officer Four Paul Angeleo, a Black Hawk pilot who supported Sunday’s mission, highlighted that practice made the difference.

“Working with the Hawaii Fire Department last wildfire season enabled us to get into a real good rhythm for this Kawaihae fire and we just got to work,” Angeleo said in the press release. “The coordination and communication with all of our partners made this mission easy, safe and effective.”

The mission ended Sunday when the Hawaii Fire Department said the fire was at 65% contained and favorable winds were in the forecast, so it was no longer needed.

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