Hawaii's Big Island was scorched by a record-setting wildfire that burned over 40,000 acres
Associated Press
- A wildfire on Hawaii's Big Island has burned more than 40,000 acres.
- It has become the largest blaze in the island's history to scorch the area.
- The wildfire forced thousands of residents to evacuate over the weekend.
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A wildfire on Hawaii's Big Island has burned more than 40,000 acres, making it the largest blaze ever to scorch the area, officials said.
"It's the biggest [fire] we've ever had on this island," Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said, according to the Associated Press. The wildfire burned more than 62-square-miles of land.
Roth added, "With the drought conditions that we've had, it is of concern. You see something like this where you're putting thousands of homes in danger, it's very concerning."
The record-setting wildfire forced thousands of residents to evacuate over the weekend and reportedly torched at least two Big Island homes.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that the fire was 95% contained as of Thursday night and had burned at least 40,000 acres.
The fire no longer poses a threat to homes, but its impacts on forest reserves and species habitats remain a concern, officials said, according to The Washington Post.