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One of the deadliest wildfires in modern US history has left a trail of destruction on the Hawaiian island of Maui, claiming the lives of at least 55 people with hundreds still missing.
In response to the fires, US President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster and authorized Federal aid to support recovery efforts. The fires, which started on Tuesday, have ravaged the historic town of Lahaina, a popular tourist destination. Firefighters continue to battle multiple blazes across the island, which have resulted in the destruction of homes and businesses. The fires were further fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, passing south of Hawaii, and worsened by dry conditions.
The Maui County mayor’s office confirmed a rise in the death toll from 36 on Wednesday to 55 on Thursday evening. Hawaii governor Josh Green referred to the wildfires as “likely the largest natural disaster in the state’s history.”
Notably, these wildfires in Hawaii follow an exceptionally active wildfire season in the northern hemisphere, with fires burning in Canada for nearly four months. Smoke from the Canadian fires, which have consumed over 13 million hectares of boreal forests, had previously traveled to cities like New York.
The fires on Maui coincided with the announcement that July was the hottest month on record. Rising global temperatures have led to droughts in many countries and exacerbated the frequency and severity of wildfires.
Dr. Thomas Smith, an associate professor in environmental geography at the London School of Economics and Political Science, noted that while wildfires are not uncommon in Hawaii, the current fires are burning a larger area than usual, displaying extreme fire behavior with rapid spread rates and large flames. He attributed the increased fire risk to the particularly parched vegetation in lowland areas of Maui due to below average precipitation in the spring and scarce rainfall throughout the summer. Additionally, above average temperatures, especially overnight, coupled with low relative humidity have made controlling the fires more challenging.
Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy, emphasized on Twitter that while climate change may not directly start fires, it intensifies them, causing them to cover larger areas and become more dangerous.
The fire in Lahaina, which left the town without power, was reported to be 80% contained on Thursday morning. Tourists in the town, once Hawaii’s royal capital, were forced to take refuge in the sea and stay afloat for hours to escape the flames.
Over 11,000 people were left without power across Maui on Friday morning, as per Poweroutage.com. Emergency shelters have been established across the island, accommodating nearly 1,500 individuals, while over 1,000 sought refuge at Kahului Airport. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.
Efforts are underway by state and county crews to clear roads and remove debris from affected areas. Dr. Douglas Kelley, a land surface modeller at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, has categorized the scale of deaths and evacuations as an extreme and unusual wildfire event, surpassing the capabilities of local emergency services.
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