Hawaiian authorities would have been breathing a sigh of relief on Wednesday as a tropical cyclone missed the archipelago, but raging wildfires have annihilated a historic city, whipped into a conflagration by the nearby storm’s winds.
Fires are nothing new to the Aloha State, which sits atop a series of active volcanoes in the Pacific. However, these flames weren’t sparked by glowing hot magma near the towering volcanic peaks, but among the dry upland brush.
Wildfires on Hawaii tend to be rare, confined to the dry side of an island, which are often covered in grassy prairies. Such is the case in western Maui, where the fires have been the most destructive.
Richard Bissen, who serves as the mayor of Maui, told media Wednesday that officials have confirmed at least six deaths as a result of the wildfires. He noted the death toll may increase as search and rescue efforts are ongoing.
Hawaii Governor Sylvia Luke has declared a state of emergency in response to the outbreak of flames, which spread rapidly due to high winds and dry conditions. Bizarrely, US President Joe Biden erroneously told US media he had already made a similar declaration when he had not.
In the Kula upland area near the island’s center, fires have consumed about 1.5 square miles of land and forced 80 people from their homes, two of which were destroyed.
Devastating scenes from Lahaina Harbor as wildfires rip through Maui. Wind gusts of more than 70 mph helped fan the flames. pic.twitter.com/hf8dt8fAom
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) August 9, 2023
The devastation was much worse on the island’s far western rim, where much of the historic town of Lahaina had been consumed by flames on Wednesday.
“Do NOT go to Lahaina Town,” the County of Maui government posted on social media, adding that all roads into and out of the town had been closed. The town of 13,000 dates to the 18th century and once served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii after Kamehameha the Great conquered the other islands and united the archipelago under his rule.
The flames were being fanned by outer winds from Hurricane Dora, which passed some 500 miles south of the islands. Winds of 70 miles per hour spread the flames rapidly and poured smoke across the island, obscuring both the actively burning places and the escape routes from the advancing flames.
This was trying to leave #lahaina #kaanapali at 930 this morning. I can’t imagine how it was leaving later. It happened so fast. No detours. No direction. Just rerouted over and over until we reached the bypass to Wailea. 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Qre2pnQgrJ
— Kimberly Papedis (@KPapedis) August 9, 2023
Ironically, Hawaii has long been considered to have “good luck” when it comes to hurricanes, as the island chain has a reputation of cyclones veering away before landing a direct hit.
The winds also prevented authorities from using much of their firefighting repertoire, including the dropping of water on the fires. The first footage from the aftermath in Lahaina on Wednesday morning showed the town basically wiped off the face of the Earth.
According to the US Coast Guard, 12 people were rescued from the waters off Lahaina, having fled to the sea to escape the flames
Local authorities indicated that at least two people were being treated in a Honolulu hospital some 90 miles away, including an elderly woman and a firefighter.
Fires were also reported on other islands, too. On the Big Island, also known as Hawaii, Mayor Mitch Roth told the media there was “minimal damage” to any homes. On Oahu, where the capital and largest city of Honolulu is located, the high winds had downed power lines, leaving at least 14,500 people without power on Wednesday, and caused other traffic problems as well.
Wildfires have grown worse around the globe in recent years, with the summer of 2023 being especially bad. Fires raging in Italy, Greece, Canada, and the United States have devastated huge swaths of land and encroached upon urban areas. The fires in northern Canada are so intense, they have already exceeded the country’s entire annual carbon dioxide output last year, and amount to 25% of global carbon emissions by themselves.
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