Wildfire in Hawaii, July 15, 2004

Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, July 15, 2004
Start: 2004-07-15T10:00
End: 2004-07-15T16:20
Location: Hawaii

July 15, 2004 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A fire burned 60 acres of sugar cane just west of the Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai. A helicopter helping to fight the blaze crashed when its rotor hit a tree.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

A fire burned 60 acres of sugar cane just west of the Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai. A helicopter helping to fight the blaze crashed when its rotor hit a tree. The pilot was unhurt but the aircraft was a total loss. The cause of the fire was unknown, but it started in an area of discarded appliances at the Kauai County Lihue Transfer Station. The cane fire disrupted traffic to the airport for two hours as fire fighters worked to contain it. There were no significant injuries. The cost of property damages was not available.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 15, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 10:00 AM HST, 0 minutes before

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
10 AM HST THU JUL 15 2004

.SYNOPSIS...AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH OF THE MAIN
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS WILL KEEP FRESH TRADES BLOWING THROUGH THE
FORECAST PERIOD. SHOWERS EMBEDDED IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW WILL AFFECT
MAINLY THE WINDWARD AND MOUNTAIN AREAS. A MID LEVEL LOW IS STILL
BEING FORECAST TO DEVELOP AND MOVE OVER THE ISLANDS...NOW EARLY
NEXTWEEK. IF THIS COMES TO PASS...WILL ALSO MAKE THINGS A LITTLE
WETTER FOR THE ISLANDS NEXT WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM SOME 700 NM NORTH OF KAUAI
WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE AS THE MAIN FACTOR FOR ISLAND WEATHER INTO
THE COMING WEEKEND. THE HIGH KEEPS OUR PRESSURE GRADIENT STEADY
WHICH WILL TRANSLATE INTO STEADY MODERATE TRADES. THIS HIGH DRIFTS
SLOWLY EASTWARD NEXT WEEK HOWEVER...AT THE SAME TIME AS AN UPPER
LOW IS FORECAST BY THE GFS MODEL TO MOVE NORTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE
STATE. THUS SOME CHANGES MAY BE IN STORE FOR THE ISLAND FORECAST
EARLY NEXT WEEK...BUT UNTIL THEN IT WILL BE TRADES...TRADES...
TRADES.

&&

.MARINE...ANOTHER SOUTH SWELL IS EXPECTED TO RAISE SURF HEIGHTS
ABOVE ADVISORY LEVELS ON FRIDAY.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

FARRELL

EFFECTIVE 800 AM HST...JULY 15...2004...AFDHI IS BEING ISSUED AS
AFDHFO. THE WMO HEADING FXHW60 PHFO WILL REMAIN THE SAME.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Kauai

When: July 15, 10:00 AM HST to 4:20 PM HST
Where: Kauai forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 22.011, -159.705 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Hawaii in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, July 2004

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5431574.