The Hawaii wildfires have reached a grim milestone as the death toll rose to 67, making it the deadliest natural disaster in the state's history.

Hundreds more have been reported missing and the toll may still rise.

It comes as Lahaina residents are being allowed to briefly return home on Friday to take stock of the damage to their fire-ravaged town.

They returned amid warnings they would be greeted by "destruction like they've not ever seen in their lives".

State officials reopened Lahaina to people with proof of residency on Friday for the first time since flames swept rapidly through early this week, razing much of the historic town.

A curfew will operate daily from 22:00 to 06:00 local time, and some of the hardest hit parts of the town remain restricted to search and rescue personnel.

 

West Maui, where Lahaina is located, is still without power and water. Search crews are still in the area looking for wildfire victims.

Governor Josh Green warned Hawaiians what they found in Lahaina would be hard to see.

"Lahaina is a devastated zone. They will see destruction like they've not ever seen in their lives," said the governor, who visited the town on Thursday. "Be very safe, be very careful."

 

• Warnings over Maui fires came late, evacuees say
• What caused the Hawaii wildfires?

 

FULL STORY

 

 

Even Hawaii has lands that need to be managed in order to prevent this sort of thing especially in areas that have been invaded by humans... this fire is a direct result of mismanagement.

An inflammatory post contravening our Community Standards has been removed.

19 minutes ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

Even Hawaii has lands that need to be managed in order to prevent this sort of thing especially in areas that have been invaded by humans... this fire is a direct result of mismanagement.

I’m sorry but I feel that comment is really uncalled for the island was experiencing extreme winds and dry conditions they do not have access to big city fire equipment being a small rural island the conditions were so bad that helicopters couldn’t fly meanwhile we have 67 dead Americans and many homes lost not to mention god only knows how many beloved pets family histories ect ect a deeply sad day on that beautiful island my condolences to the bereaved 

2 hours ago, Tug said:

I’m sorry but I feel that comment is really uncalled for the island was experiencing extreme winds and dry conditions they do not have access to big city fire equipment being a small rural island the conditions were so bad that helicopters couldn’t fly meanwhile we have 67 dead Americans and many homes lost not to mention god only knows how many beloved pets family histories ect ect a deeply sad day on that beautiful island my condolences to the bereaved 

Well, there had been warnings about the serious threat posed by fires since 2014. And apparently nothing was done about that. And should have been. On the other had, sometimes conditions are so bad, that preventative measures simply aren't enough. In Australia, for instance, it was argued that the fires were so bad because the usual preventative measures weren't taken. That turned out to be untrue. Even areas that had been thinned etc, fire raged out of control. 

Devastating Hawaii fires made ‘much more dangerous’ by climate change

Hawaii is experiencing increasingly dry conditions, with scientists calculating that 90% of the state is getting less rainfall than it did a century ago, with the period since 2008 particularly dry.

The growing susceptibility of Hawaii to major fires was highlighted by a 2015 study that found that rainfall has been 31% lower in the wet season since 1990, in selected monitoring sites on the islands. The state, known for its volcanoes and lush forests, is in parts drying out as global heating continues to escalate.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/11/hawaii-fires-made-more-dangerous-by-climate-crisis

1 hour ago, placeholder said:

Devastating Hawaii fires made ‘much more dangerous’ by climate change

Hawaii is experiencing increasingly dry conditions, with scientists calculating that 90% of the state is getting less rainfall than it did a century ago, with the period since 2008 particularly dry.

The growing susceptibility of Hawaii to major fires was highlighted by a 2015 study that found that rainfall has been 31% lower in the wet season since 1990, in selected monitoring sites on the islands. The state, known for its volcanoes and lush forests, is in parts drying out as global heating continues to escalate.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/11/hawaii-fires-made-more-dangerous-by-climate-crisis

Most of the areas where frequent brush fires occur are lands that were deforested for the planting of pineapple and sugar or the establishment of cattle ranches.  These are lands that already had a history of low rainfall and were irrigated.

Now that sugar and most of the pineapple is gone fast growing invasive grasses, such as guinea grass from Africa, have taken over.  During the summer months these grasses are easily ignited by dry lightning.  Two years ago one of these fires came close to torching our home.

13 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

Most of the areas where frequent brush fires occur are lands that were deforested for the planting of pineapple and sugar or the establishment of cattle ranches.  These are lands that already had a history of low rainfall and were irrigated.

Now that sugar and most of the pineapple is gone fast growing invasive grasses, such as guinea grass from Africa, have taken over.  During the summer months these grasses are easily ignited by dry lightning.  Two years ago one of these fires came close to torching our home.

I agree.

6 hours ago, Tug said:

I’m sorry but I feel that comment is really uncalled for the island was experiencing extreme winds and dry conditions they do not have access to big city fire equipment being a small rural island the conditions were so bad that helicopters couldn’t fly meanwhile we have 67 dead Americans and many homes lost not to mention god only knows how many beloved pets family histories ect ect a deeply sad day on that beautiful island my condolences to the bereaved 

I thought Tug's comment was spot on.  If not mismanaged, then they would have been prepared for such an 'incident'.   

 

Govts, local, county, state, fed are suppose to pass regulations on 'what if' scenarios.  

Edited August 12, 20232 yr by KhunLA

Any fire that is wind driven is not something that can be stopped as ashes fly so far.

This tragic fire spread because of the high winds from the hurricane passing by Hawaii.

  People use climate change on everything these days. Dry conditions are common at this time of year

so quit the climate change blame game. Just saying. my opinion.

 

18 hours ago, Tug said:

I’m sorry but I feel that comment is really uncalled for the island was experiencing extreme winds and dry conditions they do not have access to big city fire equipment being a small rural island the conditions were so bad that helicopters couldn’t fly meanwhile we have 67 dead Americans and many homes lost not to mention god only knows how many beloved pets family histories ect ect a deeply sad day on that beautiful island my condolences to the bereaved 

Doesn't change the fact that the island ecosystem has been mismanaged for decades... the best solution is prevention... not condolences.

Latest...........

 

Maui fire: 93 killed as governor warns of 'significant' death toll rise

Ninety-three people have been confirmed killed in the Maui fire that razed the historic town of Lahaina, marking the most deadly US fire in a century.

The number of victims could rise "significantly", Hawaii Governor Josh Green warned on Saturday, as forensic work continues to identify the victims.

Hundreds remain unaccounted for while hundreds of others fill shelters across Maui after fleeing the flames.

"It's an impossible day," Mr Green said.

The fire will "certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced", he said.

"We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them health care, and then turn to rebuilding."

 

While the wildfires are now largely under control, efforts to fully extinguish them are continuing in parts of the island, including around Lahaina, which has been devastated.

• What caused the Hawaii wildfires?
• Famous banyan tree and centuries-old church hit by Hawaii fires
• Survivors describe harrowing escapes from the flames

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66489815

 

 

22 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

Any fire that is wind driven is not something that can be stopped as ashes fly so far.

This tragic fire spread because of the high winds from the hurricane passing by Hawaii.

  People use climate change on everything these days. Dry conditions are common at this time of year

so quit the climate change blame game. Just saying. my opinion.

 

"People use climate change on everything these days"

That's because climate change is affecting everything at a frightening accelerating pace.

Another inaccurate headline:

"77 years ago, on April Foolʻs Day 1946, Hilo and the surrounding coast was hit by the most devastating tsunami in Hawaiʻi’s modern history. The death toll was 158."

 

Along with ... was it a natural disaster?  as cause of fire is unknown.   Was it  powerline ignited, or someone's brush fire that got out of control ?

Hawaii wildfires: Crews may find 10 to 20 wildfire victims a day - governor

 

Recovery crews combing through homes and vehicles burned to a cinder in Hawaii are likely to find 10 to 20 more victims per day, the governor has warned.

The death toll grew to 96 on Sunday, making this the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.

Governor Josh Green told CBS News it could take up to 10 days to learn the full death toll.

The number of missing now stands at around 1,300, he said.

Nearly the entire town of Lahaina was destroyed in the fire.

"There is nothing to see except full devastation," Mr Green told CBS, the BBC's US news partner, on Sunday.

 

All residents of Lahaina - home to 12,000 people - probably escaped or perished in the fire, he added. He said crews would probably discover more victims and that it would take time to identify them.

• Laser beams and other Hawaii fire conspiracy theories

"It's hard to recognise anybody," Mr Green said.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66470121