WAIKELE — A brushfire burned about 225 acres in the Kipapa Gulch area between the Waikele and Royal Kunia subdivisions, sending out thick smoke that was visible from downtown Honolulu.

Two abandoned storage sheds in a former Navy storage area were destroyed, but there were no other reports of property damage or injuries, said Fire Department spokesman Capt. Emmit Kane. The fire was extinguished by 8:30 p.m., Kane said.

And unlike the larger brushfire in Nanakuli earlier this week, this Central O'ahu fire did not force any significant road closures or threaten homes. Kane said the Nanakuli fire was 95 percent contained by yesterday evening, but firefighters were kept busy thoughout the day and into the night fighting small brushfires in Kalaeloa, Wai'anae Valley Road, near Nanakuli High School, Kunia and near Camp Timberline.

The fire in Kipapa Gulch closed the Royal Kunia Golf Course as HFD's Air One helicopter made frequent trips to scoop water from the course's lake. Smoke also blanketed much of the course yesterday afternoon.

Two military Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters also assisted with water drops, drawing their water from the ocean. Twenty HFD companies responded to the 1:30 p.m. alarm.

Trade winds carried black smoke across the golf course and into the Royal Kunia neighborhood, where resident Lyn Ednilao was jogging.

"My eyes are burning," said Ednilao, 39.

"It looks mild from here, but it's not," she added while looking at the plume of smoke.

While Ednilao had heard of the many brushfires across the Leeward Coast in the past weeks, she said the sight of the nearby plume was unnerving.

"I'm surprised. I didn't think any (fire) would get here in our area," she said.

Lee Stein, a 44-year-old electrician, was not concerned as he walked his two dogs near the golf course.

"It's not too bad. Hopefully, they'll put it out," he said as he looked up at Air One. "They're doing a good job."

Fire crews were able to corral the flames when the fire burned down to Able Road in the gulch below Royal Kunia, using the old Navy storage access road as a fire break. Kane said the fire began in the Mililani Agricultural Park in the gulch, where old pineapple and sugar cane land was overgrown.

"Where suburbia meets wild land, there will always be that problem," Kane said.

He did not want to speculate on the origin of the fire, saying, "that's second right now" to getting the fire under control.

Kane said the biggest challenge that faced firefighters was getting crews down the winding access roads in the gulch to the fire. With no fire hydrants in the area, fire crews relied on tankers making frequents trips in and out of the gulch.

Firefighters also were concerned about two containers of pesticides that were in one of the sheds. But they were able to remove them before fire engulfed the structure.