I think it is still being investigated, but AIUI there were severe winds coming off a passing hurricane - no rain, just the wind (at least in Maui). Likely the wind downed a power line, which sparked, and that was all it needed. I think there was some firefighting initially, but once things got out of control, there is not much anyone can do. Also, AIUI, Maui has been in a bit of a drought, so any dry brush was easy fuel.
Here’s more:
My parents walked the streets of Lahaina during their second honeymoon, and now it’s gone, and my mother has been sitting here crying all day.
My boss has vacationed a couple of times a year for the past decade. All of his favorite restaurants and bars are gone, including Mick Fleetwood’s restaurant. He was scheduled to go there in two weeks, and now it may be years before it’s a semblance of its former self. Such a tragedy.
Honolulu Civil Beat is THE BEST. I rely on it for all my Hawai’i news.
@Siam_Sam is on Oahu. @Didi44 was born and raised in Hawai’i, if I’m not mistaken, and resides on Oahu.
@Mangosteen has, or had, a place on the Big Island (quite near me, actually) that he used for vacation rentals. I think he abandoned the Dope quite a while ago though, probably because he regarded us all as hopelessly liberal (he was a Trump supporter, I am pretty sure.)
There was another Hawai’i doper whose name I can’t remember but I’m pretty sure it started with “L” - I really liked him, but he stopped posting sometime in the last few years after feeling he’d shared more personal information than he was comfortable with. I wish he’d come back!
I’d probably remember a few more Hawai’i dopers if I thought about it for a while (I think the late Santo Rugger was on the Big Island, maybe?) but those are the only ones that come to mind right now. No one on Maui.
My family and I got back from a two-week vacation in Kihei on July 30th. This is heartbreaking. Where we stayed is south of the Kihei fire, but it’s close enough that it’s been evacuated.
Lahaina was both a tourist town and a town with a lot of native Hawai’ian community. Huge tragedy. I hope this doesn’t lead to massive amounts of development on Maui, and people getting pushed out.
As I understand it, there are 3 wildfires burning. The Lahaina one, a North Kihei one, and one further towards Kahului, but not threatening the city there.
On the day we got to Maui, there were strong winds from a tropical storm, and there were remarks about how it’s rare for Hawai’i to be affected by tropical cyclones.
We spoke with a farmer in upcountry who commented on the draught they were having.
Things I’ve read: over 50 dead now, hospital facilities overwhelmed with burn, and smoke-inhalation victims. People have fled into the ocean, and the Coast Guard was rescuing them. At one point, they called on all boat owners to help. Not sure if that’s still ongoing.
Part of Maui’s firefighting capabilities is helicopters that dump water. The helicopters could not fly in the high winds. And yes, high winds driving a wildfire leave firefighters pretty helpless. They focus on running ahead of it and telling people to get out.
There’s no power, no cell service, and no 911 service. So people may not know when they need to evacuate, or where to go, until they see fire or get a knock on the door.
That was Didi44. The exit didn’t stick.
That’s how I read it.
Here’s an interactive NASA map of where the fires have been in the last 24 hours.
Hmm, that’s linking the site in general. Oh well, you can use that site to see where the fires are, anyway.
When the tropical storm was passing during my trip - much closer than the hurricane is - we got zero rain from it.
This is horrible. Was the public made aware of the serious nature of a fire fed by 60 mph winds? It’s basically a fire moving at highway speeds.
Going at that speed, how long before it literally encompasses the entire island or even the entire state? Hawai’i can’t be that big.
The entire state?? You realize Hawaii is made up of several islands right?
And aren’t there fires on two of them?
Power out. Cell phone towers out. 911 service out. I’m sure they were broadcasting information, but people would need battery powered radios, or to be sitting in theirs cars to get the news, I presume.
How would your city, county, or state get word to you in those circumstances?
Also, when this all started, the hurricane was 700 miles from Hawai’i. No one knew this was about to happen.
Fires usually move in a direction. They don’t just expand out in all directions, particularly when there’s a driving wind. The fires are being driven West. There’s only so much west they can go. They can’t turn around and go back, because already-burned areas become firebreaks. The fuel there has been used up.
Yes - and they much prefer arid areas offering plenty of fuel (dry vegetation / wooden buildings). The really wet rainforest areas (e.g. northeastern Maui) probably couldn’t support a wildfire.
Ignorance fought. Gratitude.
Compressional heating, similar to California’s Santa Ana winds, helped dry out the lowland scrub, which was under a flash drought situation already. The hurricane really “pulled” the winds towards itself, from far north of hawaii, winds jumpstarting from the huge pacific high, giving them a boost. Forecasters knew the winds were coming.
High winds will send large embers far ahead of the main front, and soon everything that can burn will. Building codes in California are constantly being updated after each fire. Embers blowing into attic vents or eaves is a current problem being addressed here. (edit: I had to man the hoses here, watching for those very embers)
Really sorry to see this happen to Hawaii.
I also heard that Lahaina and environs are technically a desert, because they get about 15 inches of precipitation on average in a year. The rain forest on the other side of the island would stop it, I hope.
I figured someone would put two and two together. Mods and everyone I apologize for my breaking the rules and the deception. I’ll see myself out for good this time after a final word of cares and prayers for those on Maui and Hawaii.
???
I thought you did it under the same name. If you had a sock, you just outed yourself, it wasn’t me.