A brush fire in the Waiawa-Ka Uka area forced the closure of H-2 northbound lanes at the H-1 merge for more than five hours today. Traffic began to trickle through again shortly before 6:30 p.m.

Earlier, traffic was being rerouted to the H-1 westbound and Waipahu offramp to Kamehameha Highway northbound. A line of backed-up vehicles stretched from Waikele to Pearl City for much of the afternoon.
This evening, the brush fire continued to burn out of control.
The Honolulu Fire Department has 10 engines, four water tankers, and two helicopters on scene and were joined by federal firefighters.
First companies on scene reported active fire moving in several directions, Capt. Terry Seelig said in a news release. Companies deployed hose lines and were working to contain the fire. HFD is also using its helicopter to drop water on this fire and to direct ground companies access to this fire, Seelig said.
At one point the fire threatened Hawaiian Electric Co. power lines and the company had considered rerouting some electricity to avoid the area. But Seelig said firefighters doused the area around the power poles and shortly before 6:30, a HECO spokesman said officials determined that rerouting the power would not be necessary.