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Brushfire in Hawaii leads to evacuations, road closures

WATCH ABOVE; Wildfire spreads in Hawaii burning 6,000 acres of land – Jul 3, 2016

A large brushfire has led to evacuations and road closures on the on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

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The fire forced evacuations for area businesses and about a dozen residents whose homes were threatened. Hikers trapped near the fire were flown to safety.

Intermittent highway closures have snarled traffic.

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More than 9 square miles had burned on Maui as of Saturday night.

The fire is burning toward a subdivision on the Hawaiian island of Maui, The Maui News reports .

Crews are standing by to prevent the blaze in Maalaea from reaching the homes.

Maui County Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto said in a news release an earlier fire sparked by a downed electrical line flared up Saturday afternoon and spread quickly in 40 mph winds.

Maui Electric Co. officials say the fire and strong winds broke an electrical line and about 16,000 people lost power for a few hours.

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Rescue centres are set up at the War Memorial in Wailuku and Lahaina Civic Center.

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