Western parts of the United States have been rampaged by gigantic wildfires throughout the month and Hawaii County is the latest to be hit by the devastating blaze.

A 36,000-acre wildfire began on Friday and is ripping through thousands of acres of dry brush in Hawaii County, prompting evacuations and threatening structures.

The fire, which started near Mana Road in Waimea on the island of Hawaii. The Pu’u Kapu Hawaiian Homestead and Waiki’i Ranch areas were ordered to evacuate immediately.

According to a recent update by the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, the fire area is moving west, north, and south due to wind conditions.

Also Read: Explained| What is wildfire and why are they becoming so common?

Meanwhile, Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth confirmed one structure has been lost. 

According to Hawaii Fire Department Volunteer Captain John Bertsch of West Hawaii Today, one front of the fire reached four miles in length on Friday, according to MSN News.

The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency tweeted Sunday morning warning South Kohala and Waikoloa Village to “prepare your homes for fire prevention.”

“The fire area is moving west, north, and south due to wind conditions,” the agency wrote in its Sunday incident report. “Please prepared your properties and remove any debris or exposed fuels to prevent ignition. Fire crews are actively back burning and creating fire breaks in the area.”

The flames are being pushed beyond fire breaks by strong winds, and dense smoke has caused the closing of Old Saddle Road between Highway 190 and Daniel K. Inouye Highway. Strong trade winds are expected to persist Sunday, with conditions improving beginning Monday, according to the National Weather Service’s Honolulu office.

Because of the extreme dryness on the island, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has closed Hilina Pali and Mauna Loa roads to vehicle traffic in order to reduce the risk of fire.

“Staying safe while protecting the natural and cultural resources of the park is our top priority,” said park fire management officer Greg Funderburk, MSN News reported. “Fire danger indexes in both areas are above the 90th percentile and any ignitions that occur would be difficult to suppress and likely to result in a large fire.”

The western parts of the US have been rampaged by wildfires amid soaring temperatures. The likes of Oregon and California have suffered the worst fate. 

More than 300,000 acres have burned in California so far this year — far ahead of the same period in 2020, itself the worst year in modern state history for wildfire destruction.