On Tuesday August 8, 2023, the unthinkable happened. A massive wildfire broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui in the historic town of Lahaina. So far, 36 people have died as a result. Businesses, homes, and other buildings are destroyed. Tourists have been asked to stay away from the overwhelmed island.
The fire took off quickly and unexpectedly. Officials did know that it was a red flag, high-alert time for fires, but no one could have predicted what followed. Let’s take a deeper look at what caused the perfect fire conditions.
The exact cause of the blaze is still unknown at this time. What is known is what helped it spread so quickly. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, the commander general of the Hawaii Army National Guard, explained this at a press conference on August 9.
"We don't know what actually ignited the fires, but we were made aware in advance by the National Weather Service that we were in a red flag situation — so that's dry conditions for a long time, so the fuel, the trees and everything, was dry," he stated. This was further compounded by low humidity and high winds from Hurricane Dora.
Even though the hurricane was hundreds of miles south of the island, its impact was still felt. This category 4 storm was able to send heavy winds that reached speeds above 60 miles per hour, causing damage to property and power lines that may have caused the blaze. The winds also prevented first responders from using helicopters to fight the fire. With climate change impacting our world, more extreme weather will become the norm.
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Fires can be started in a variety of different ways but 85% of the time, wildfires in the US are caused by humans. A cigarette butt, a campfire, even gender reveals gone wrong, have all sparked a flame. Weather conditions such as a lightning strike also cause fires.
Time will tell how the Maui blaze erupted, but as Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. stated, it's time to come together. “We are grieving with each other during this inconsolable time,” he stated. “In the days ahead, we will be stronger as a ‘kaiaulu,’ or community, as we rebuild with resilience and aloha.”
