Editor’s Note (9/22/23): This story has been updated with information about the latest death toll. Maui officials announced on Sept. 15 that the number of fatalities was lower than previously reported after DNA testing of remains.
At least 114people have been confirmed to be killed bywildfires that rageduncontrolled on the famously beautiful Hawaiian island last week. People were left with little time to escape from the fast-moving flames, and a few even fled into the ocean to avoid the blaze. Officials say they expect the death toll to rise, andnews reports have included accounts of people looking for missing relatives.
The fire that struck the historic town of Lahaina on the western side of Maui is now the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century. It has eclipsed the toll from the Camp Fire, which tore through Paradise, Calif., in 2018and killed 85 people.
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The devastating Maui fires, along with some on Hawaii’s Big Island, were the product of a confluence of weather conditions—namely, strong winds, dry vegetation and low humidity—says Robert Bohlin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s (NWS’s) office in Honolulu.
The stage was set by drought conditions across various parts of the state’s islands, especially Maui. “This is the time of year when we start to dry out,” Bohlin says. That typical dryness has been exacerbated by weaker-than-normal trade winds that have kept rain away, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Drought dries out grasses and other vegetation, making them more likely to ignite in a wildfire.
Two other factors werea large atmospheric pattern that featureda strong high-pressure area to the north of the islands and a strong low-pressure area—in the form of Hurricane Dora—to the south. Wind tends to flow from high-pressure areas to low-pressure ones, and the stronger the pressure difference, the faster the winds. “We’re in that sweet spot between that very strong high and that very strong low,” Bohlin says. And the islands’ rugged terrain can sometimes funnel those winds and create stronger gusts. The NWS had warned of winds of 30 to 45 miles per hour, with gusts up to 60 mph.
Such strong winds can quickly spread flames. “The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house,” said Maui County’s fire assistant chief Jeff Giesea in a recent press release from the county.
The large atmospheric patterns “also brought in some really dry air,” Bohlin says, which promotes fire growth as well.
All of these conditions make it very difficult for firefighters to beat back the flames, which can spread faster and more unpredictably. Firefighting aircraft were unable to fly because of the high winds, and firefighters have reported lowwater pressure in hydrants, making it difficult for them to beatback flames on the ground. The sirens the state uses to communicate tsunami warnings and other emergency information did not sound before the fire, and residents have said they did not receive evacuation orders. Cell-phone service and power were affected in the area even before the fire swept through.
The spreading flames destroyed numerous homes, historic buildingsandbusinesses on Front Street in Lahaina.“About 80% of Lahaina is gone,” Green said last Thursday, according to CNN.
Parts of this side of the island have had no landline or cell-phone service, according to the county government. Thousands of people also have beenwithout power. Visitors have been asked to leave Maui because of limited resources on the island. President Joe Biden has declareda major disaster for Hawaii, the National Guard has been deployed, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is working on the ground to distribute supplies.
The fire that swept through Lahaina was 90 percent contained as of August 20. ThePulehu fire to the south was 100 percent contained, andthe twofires in the middle of the southern portion of the island wereboth 85 percent contained.
Both state officials and insurance experts have said the economic losses are likely to reach into the billions of dollars. The U.S.already saw arecord of 15 weather and climate disastersthat cost at least a $1 billion each over the first seven months of the year.
The devastating Maui fires, along with some on Hawaii's Big Island, were the product of a confluence of weather conditions—namely, strong winds, dry vegetation and low humidity—says Robert Bohlin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's (NWS's) office in Honolulu.
The start of the fires, in particular the Lahaina fire, was speculated to have been downed power lines, which sparked and ignited dried vegetation in areas experiencing moderate (D1) to severe (D2) drought conditions, according to NOAA.
Hawaiian Telecom is privately owned. Maui County filed a separate lawsuit late last month against Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries, alleging that the utility company's negligence caused the devastating wildfires.
When Māui returned to his village he didn't bring back fire as the villagers had expected. Instead he brought back dry wood from the Kaikōmako tree and showed them how to rub the dry sticks together forming friction which would eventually start a fire.
As per the latest update, the Lahaina fire is now 100% contained (as of September 26th, 2023). This means that firefighters have successfully controlled the entire perimeter of the fire.
Wildfires typically start due to a combination of dry vegetation, hot conditions, and an ignition source. Natural causes include lightning strikes and volcanic eruptions. Human activities, such as campfires left unattended, discarded cigarettes, and arson, are also major contributors.
8. The origin of the fire is thought to be at 6:30 a.m., when 911 calls came in from the vicinity of Lahaina Intermediate off of Lahainaluna Road. Island News submitted the obtained recordings to the Maui Fire Department (MFD).
Māui wanted to know where fire came from, so one night he went among the villages of his people and put all the fires out. Māui's mother Taranga, who was their rangatira, said that someone would have to ask Mahuika, the goddess of fire, for more.
Arriving within days of the devastating wildfire, EPA personnel swiftly assessed the burn area; installed air monitors to protect the health of first responders; developed and executed first-in-the-nation protocols to safely dispose of electric vehicle and solar energy storage batteries damaged by the wildfires; ...
The money spent, the debris removed, the people housed, the meals served. But the officials also underscored how the recovery is very much ongoing, with numerous obstacles still remaining and some aspects that are much harder to catalogue or even fully comprehend yet, like any lasting health effects.
"The winds that hit us on that side of the island, some gusts were up to 80 mph, so everything happened so quickly," said Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen. "The fires came up so quickly, and they spread so fast."
It was a matter of staying to fight the sun or being killed by the sun's fireballs as they tried to escape. So the brothers pulled on the ropes and trapped the sun as it rose, which grew angry when it realised what was happening. Maui then pulled out the jawbone and, braving the heat, struck the sun powerfully.
The death toll from the deadliest US wildfire in over a century, which devastated the historic town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui last year, has risen to 102.
Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged its downed lines caused the initial fire but has argued in court filings it couldn't be responsible for the later flare-up because its lines had been turned off for hours by the time the fire reignited and spread through the town.
Currently, Maui is open for tourism in the areas above. We still urge visitors to stick to the south side, North Shore, and just a few areas above the burn area (Kapalua, Ka'anapali, Napili, Kahana.) These West Maui area businesses still need support, but it's crucial visitors be respectful, reverent, and helpful.
For example, the Kilauea Volcano creates vog (volcanic smog) when SO2 reacts with sunlight and constituents in the air to form sulfates that have caused haze on the island of Hawaii and on other islands hundreds of miles away. Other natural sources include soot from wild fires and windblown dust.
The Manihiki islanders say that Maui desired to separate the sky from the earth. His father, Ru, was the supporter of the heavens. Maui persuaded him to assist in lifting the burden.
Like a majority of fires in the northern part of the state, both were ignited by lightning ( Keeley and Syphard 2018). Past fire history shows that much of the landscape within both fire perimeters had gone 75 or more years without fire due to highly successful fire suppression, on ...
As of June 24, 2024, there are 102 confirmed fatalities. Officials said the number deaths decreased after DNA analysis of the remains recovered consolidated some cases.
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