Evacuation Lifted - Evening Mana Road Fire Update, Aug 1, 2021

Hawaii County has lifted the evacuation order for Waikoloa Village, Waiki'i Ranch, and Pu'u Kapu. More favorable weather conditions this evening has allowed fire crews to start to get a handle on the now 40,000 acre fire, pushing the fire back to the mauka side of Highway 190. This is great news! At noon today, the fire had already crossed Highway 190 and moving towards the Waikoloa Village as gale force winds fed multiple fronts of the fire, and a mandatory evacuation was issued for the village of about 6,500 people. The Hawaii Police Department went door-to-door advising residents of the evacuation as traffic leaving Waikoloa quickly backed up, and the normally dead-end street of Hulu in Waikoloa Village was opened as an emergency exit. At least two homes have been lost to the fire, Hawaii County asks anyone with outstanding damages to report it here: https://hawaii-county-civil-defense-agency-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com/feedback/surveys/d13077c69cda493585f423578559e40a/about "based on the prevailing wind and weather patterns for the evening, we are looking at lifting the mandatory evacuation for all three communities at this point. However, this will be reevaluated in the morning." ~ Hawaii County Fire Chief, Kazuo Todd The county has made it clear though that the emergency is not over, and just because the evacuation is lifted tonight doesn't mean that tomorrow the fire is totally under control as high winds are forecasted again tomorrow. Particulate matter (PM2.5) from the fire has mostly been accumulating from Kiholo Bay, down to Milolii, including all of Kailua-Kona. The air quality provided by Purple Air currently shows that "Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects if they are exposed for 24 hours. The general public is not likely to be affected. (Map Attached)". There is a lot of smoke for those that might return to the evacuated areas tonight. At one point the fire jumped the Waikoloa Rd and began burning towards Kona, before fire crews were quickly able to extinguish the spot fire. 7:00pm update from Hawaii County: https://www.facebook.com/HIMayorMitch/videos/383314789888274