HONOLULU (KHON2) — Black smoke can be seen surrounding the Central Maui Baseyard on Saturday afternoon. Residents down in Kihei have reported smelling the smoke in their area.
The Maui County Fire Department confirmed crews are on scene and working to contain the fire.
They do say however it will take some time.
Maui Emergency Management Agency also sent an alert around 1:30 p.m. stating a pile of scrap metal recyclables is on fire at Hammerhead Metals Recycling.
There are no impacts to structures and no road closures at this time.
MFD added the fire is confined to the property and has not spread to other businesses or the adjacent brush.
On Thursday, Maui County said the Hammerhead Metals Recycling facility would be closed through Monday, April 22, due to capacity issues.
The county said the facility is processing metals and vehicles from the Lahaina Wildfire Disaster Area through a contract with the County of Maui Dept. of Environmental Management, Division of Environmental Protection and Sustainability.
In the press release sent out on Thursday, it read: Hammerhead management has stated, “Due to exigent circumstances, including but not limited to the wildfires of Lahaina, we have decided to close our yard for one week,” the company said in announcing the closure that began Tuesday, April 16. “This closure will allow us to prioritize the removal of more than 3,600 tons of metal that we currently have on property. Our decision does not come lightly; the safety of our staff, vendors, and customers are our number one priority.”
