Farms run by grandmothers damaged in Hawaii Island brush fire

PAAUILO (HawaiiNewsNow) - Two family-run farms on Hawaii Island were damaged when a brush fire broke out in Paauilo last week.

Now, community members are rallying to keep them in business.

The fire started Aug. 7 and burned almost 200 acres in three days.

According to a GoFundMe for the farms, flames and bulldozers destroyed the farms’ fences, melted thousands of feet of irrigation lines, and damaged roads.

The farms on the Hamakua Coast are owned and cared for by Cynthia and Susan. They grow and sell a variety of native trees, fresh produce, and cacti for the community and to aid in reforestation efforts.

Without fences, crops and orchards are at risk from roaming animals, and without irrigation, the plants cannot survive, the GoFundMe said.

Donations will go toward rebuilding essen