At least 20 Honolulu fire companies battled a raging wildfire near Hale'iwa yesterday that scorched more than 1,500 acres, forced people to flee their homes and burned down utility poles.

Remarkably, there had been no reports of injuries or homes damaged as the fight against the fire, which began at 1:40 p.m. near Poamoho Estates and the University of Hawai'i's Experimental Farm at Poamoho, entered its eighth hour. The fire, fueled by gusting winds, forced the closure of Kaukonahua Road and jumped the roadway about 6 p.m.

In addition to Kaukonahua Road, portions of Kamehameha Highway were closed to traffic at 3:30 p.m.

Smoke from the fire was visible for miles during the afternoon, with residents from as far away as Makaha calling in reports of the huge pillar of smoke.

Earlier, about 20 people evacuated from homes on Hukilau Loop and Otaki Camp near Hale'iwa were at a shelter at Waialua District Park. The Red Cross was forced to move the shelter to Whitmore Community Park in Wahiawa when power went out at the Waialua park.

Electrical and telephone service was reported to be out in several areas.

Hawaiian Electric Co. spokeswoman Janet Crawford said power to 1,130 customers was cut off at the request of the Honolulu Fire Department for safety reasons. The power was cut off about 5 p.m. and restored at 8:17 p.m.

HECO crews were on the scene troubleshooting and monitoring the situation, she said.

Twenty HFD fire companies plus federal units were on the scene at 5 p.m., HFD Capt. Terry Seelig said.

Rene Edayan, her husband, son, nephew and grandchildren were among the people evacuated to Waialua District Park. People were eating and drinking sodas, children playing on a swing set.

Edayan said at first they could see flames in the distance in the early afternoon, but then smoke became very thick and police arrived at about 4:30 p.m. urging residents to evacuate.

"The smoke was so thick we couldn't see the road in front of the house," she said. "Now we are stuck, we don't know when they are gonna let us back in. It could be all night."

Linda James of the Red Cross Disaster Assistance Team said the gym had no power, prompting the move to Whitmore.

Earlier in the afternoon, Carl Lane, 17, rushed home from work to his house on Hukilau Loop. He and his brother helped the firefighters keep water on the area around his house. When he got there the house was filled with thick smoke, and the whole hillside near his home was covered with flames.

"I was freaking out," he said. "I just didn't want my house to burn down."

Carl said at first he was loading belongings into his car, ready to flee, "but then my brother said, 'No, let's stay and fight it.' "

Ronda Pitcher felt the same way. She stayed in her Kaukonahua Road home and watered the roof as crews from six fire trucks battled the nearby flames.

"I'm just glad my house didn't burn down," she said. "The firemen did a good job. I was pretty scared. We just stuck it out. The fire came really close."

It got pretty dicey, she said, especially when a coconut palm in her neighbor's yard caught fire.

At 7 p.m., the Otaki Camp residents were told they could return to their homes.

Edayan's husband, Eugene, said, "I'm glad we can go back, but we'll keep our bags packed. With the winds, it's scary at night."

Rene Edayan agreed: "I'll have a hard time sleeping tonight," she said, "but I'm happy to go back and check out my house."

At 8:30 p.m. the fire was still not contained. At the HPD command center at Weed Circle, firefighters and Red Cross workers milled about as a panorama of flame illuminated the distant hillsides.

The leaping flames, visible on three different hillsides, were the biggest on the Waialua side.

Seelig said at 9:30 p.m. that all residents from Hukilau Loop and Otaki Camp had returned to their homes. He was not sure about those from Poamoho Estates.

The evacuation centers would all be closed at 10 p.m., he said. Seelig said about 50 people had been asked to leave their homes but he did not know how many had done so. Seelig said the department planned to use copters at first light. The plan was to reassess the situation at first light today.

Staff writers Rod Ohira and John Windrow contributed to this report.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.