The Honolulu Fire Department yesterday continued to battle a wind-blown wildfire in the Waiawa Ridge area that had scorched about 350 acres since it began Wednesday afternoon.

HFD terminated air operations and pulled out most of its firefighters at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, but about a dozen firefighters remained in the area to battle hotspots, said Capt. Terry Seelig. He said officials planned to monitor the fire overnight and do a helicopter flyover this morning before determining what further action to take.

The fire was not contained as of yesterday afternoon, but Seelig said it was not threatening any property.

He said gusty winds and the area's terrain made firefighting efforts difficult.

"It does have gullies and ravines that make it a challenge to get to," Seelig said. "It's also very exposed to the wind that sweeps down from the Ko'olaus."

He said the strong winds caused the fire to flare up Wednesday night and prompted police to temporarily close a stretch of H-2 Freeway as a precaution.

City employees yesterday used bulldozers to cut firebreaks and access roads to help fire crews get access to remote areas in the former sugarcane fields. In all, five engines, four tankers and the Air One helicopter were used to fight the blaze.

The fire broke out at about 3:30 Wednesday afternoon and crews battled the blaze for most of the day. Firefighters returned Wednesday night when strong winds caused the flareup.

Seelig said a welcome rain late Wednesday night helped stem the flames.