How much land are we preparing for hurricanes? Native Hawaiian firefighter’s dilemma during Maui’s dry-season 2001-2002 report

Can we protect against disaster in the future? The Maui County report recommended that the island use public education to prevent ignition and tackle the weeds that fuel many of the Hawaiian fires. It called for an “aggressive plan to replace these hazardous fuel sources with native plants to reduce combustible fuel while increasing water retention”.

During Hawaii’s dry season, which runs between May and October, El Nio is not always a problem. But forecasters at the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration were predicting below average precipitation and drought for Hawaii — and for the leeward side of Maui in particular — as early as May.

The ignition source for the fires on the island last week is still not known, although one possibility is sparks from downed power lines or other electrical systems. High winds from Hurricane Dora 500 miles offshore may have helped the fires get out of control. As early as 4 August, the US National Weather Service was noting that Dora’s winds, combined with drought, would create dangerous fire-weather conditions. On 7 August, the agency issued a Red Flag Warning for fire danger for the leeward areas of all Hawaiian Islands.

The grasses that were introduced around the world were known as Megathyrsus maximus. But native Hawaiian dryland plants are not necessarily more fire resistant, says Katie Kamelamela, an ethnoecologist at Arizona State University in Tempe. What matters is how much dry fuel is on the land, and how it is arranged. Grazing can reduce fuel loads. The shape of active farms can help stop or slow fires.

Kamelamela, who is Native Hawaiian, says that whether the plants in an area are native or introduced is less important than how carefully land is cared for. In the past, people gathered resources from the forest and replanted important plants or removed undergrowth. But such labour-intensive traditional work is hard to fit into a hectic modern life. She said that most people in Hawaii have two to three jobs and are just trying to take their kids to soccer practice.

Hawaii is the only state that doesn’t have a climate division in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Better integration with NOAA and more data products available would allow us to better understand hazard risks in real time,” she says.

The Lahaina Disaster: A Los Alamos Urban Fire Whether It Happens In The Rains or When the Winds On Maui Burns

The Lahaina, Hawaii, town that was destroyed by a catastrophic fire last week is still being searched for survivors. The Camp Fire in Paradise, California is remembered as the deadliest blaze in modern American history with more than 80 dead. The death toll is expected to go up despite only searching a quarter of Lahaina. At least 2,200 structures have been destroyed.

It was thought that the last urban fires were in San Francisco in 1906. Stephen Pyne is a fire historian. “It’s like watching polio come back. We fixed this. But you have to maintain the hygiene—you have to keep up the vaccinations.”

And the Lahaina fire shows that they can burn in places where nobody expects a catastrophic wildfire: a modern town on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific, whose ecosystems only rarely saw wildfire in prehistory.

The winds on Maui helped to dry out the vegetation and turn it into fuel. The European colonizers probably brought in invaders when they set up plantations. When rains are plentiful, these plants grow like mad, then easily dry out once the rain stops.