Name: Wildfire in Hawaii, July 11 to 15, 2019
Start: 2019-07-11T10:42
End: 2019-07-15T18:00
Location: Hawaii

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 pair of brush fires combined to create a major hazardous episode over a portion of the Valley Isle of Maui. The blaze blackened around 9200 acres of old, dry sugarcane plantation fields and unmanaged grasslands in the isle's Central Valley. The fire was first reported in the later morning on July 11th, south of Kahului and south of the intersection between Kuihelani Highway and Waiko Road. Many residents were evacuated from the area, roads were closed, power was lost for a time, and many flights from the Kahului Airport were cancelled. The Maui Humane Society also had to evacuate the animals at its shelter.

The fire was fully contained by the morning of the 15th. No significant injuries were reported. The cost of damages was not available, and the cause of the blaze was not known.

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 11, 10:01 AM HST, 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 11, 10:01 AM HST, 41 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Honolulu HI
1001 AM HST Thu Jul 11 2019

.SYNOPSIS...
Summertime trade wind weather will continue into next week.
Showers will mainly fall over windward and mountain areas with
passing clouds over the rest of the state. Increasing humidity and
showers are possible over the weekend as moisture levels rise
across the islands.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
High pressure far to the north will maintain moderate to breezy
trade winds across the state. Humidity levels will slowly increase
over the weekend into Monday as a decaying frontal boundary sags
down from the north near Kauai, and tropical moisture passes from
east to west near the Big Island and Maui. This morning, some
brief downpours affected parts of Oahu but most other areas have
been quiet. We do expect afternoon convection over the Big Island
leeward slopes to bring spotty moderate rainfall later today.

The high pressure to the north is expected to remain in place into
next week, maintaining moderate to breezy trade winds throughout
the period. In general, this will allow for a typical trade wind
weather pattern with clouds and showers favoring windward and
mountain areas. Some passing showers can be expected over leeward
locations mainly overnight and during the early morning hours.

There will be some moisture fluctuations Friday and into the next
week as the aforementioned decaying frontal boundary and tropical
moisture increase the possibility of showers.

&&

.AVIATION...
An easterly trade wind flow pattern will hold through the period.
These breezes will strengthen this afternoon, then weaken
slightly by this evening. Showers should concentrate along the
windward and mauka areas this afternoon, especially late tonight.
Thus, isolated areas of MVFR conditions may develop tonight due to
mountain obscuration from low clouds and SHRA.

There are currently no AIRMETS in effect.

&&

.MARINE...
A high far northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands will move
northeast at 10 knots. The pressure gradient southeast of this
high will maintain locally strong trade winds over the Hawaii
coastal waters. A Small Craft Advisory (SCA) is in effect for the
windy areas around the Big Island and Maui through tomorrow afternoon.
A weak front northeast of the area may weaken the gradient enough
for winds to drop below SCA speeds on Saturday.

A large swell from east of New Zealand peaked around 8 feet at
the Samoa buoy last night. The forerunners from this swell are
expected to reach Hawaii starting tomorrow. Surf from this swell
will likely reach High Surf Advisory levels Saturday. Surf will
remain elevated along south facing shores through early next week.

A northwest swell will bring small surf to north and west facing
shores through tomorrow. After that, surf along the north and
west facing showers will be nearly flat. Surf will remain small
along east facing shores.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM HST Friday for Maalaea Bay-
Pailolo Channel-Alenuihaha Channel-Big Island Leeward Waters-Big
Island Southeast Waters.

&&

DISCUSSION...Morrison
AVIATION...JT
MARINE...Donaldson

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Maui Central Valley

When: July 11, 10:42 AM HST to July 15, 6:00 PM HST
Where: Maui Central Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Broadcast Media

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

More

Every storm in Hawaii in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, July 2019

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: 830081.