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How did the Maui fires spread? Factors making it difficult to combat nation’s deadliest wildfires

Multiple fatalities and numerous evacuations have been caused by rapidly expanding Maui wildfires that broke out on Tuesday night

MAUI, HAWAII: The devastating wildfires in Hawaii have forced thousands of residents to evacuate and caused power shortages. The scenic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui was one of the worst-affected regions, with a huge fire consuming almost all of the town.

One of the deadliest wildfires in American history, the wind-whipped fires on Maui spread rapidly and made a lethal tinderbox, overpowering locals and officials. The flames, which were sparked by a combination of strong winds and dry weather and worsened by the island's terrain, have claimed the lives of at least 55 people.

When did the Lahaina fire start?

The flames started on Tuesday, August 8 night, and still have not been given a cause. Although the National Weather Service withdrew the warnings late on Wednesday, August 9, heavy winds and dry weather had been forecast for the Hawaiian Islands and were ideal conditions for flames.

The fires have wreaked havoc on Lahaina, a beach town of 13,000 residents on the northwest coast of Maui that once served as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and today attracts 2 million visitors annually.

How did the Maui wildfire start?

The wildfire on Maui appears to be one of the deadliest in recent US history. According to CalFire, the fire is now the second deadliest in the last 100 years, after California's Camp fire, which claimed 85 lives in November 2018.

The tremendous wind gusts that raced over the island caused the Maui fires to start in vegetation at first before quickly spreading into residential areas.

The town center, which has cultural significance stretching back to the 1700s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was swiftly engulfed by the fire.

The fire advanced through intersections and soared from one wooden structure to another with astounding speed and intensity.

Jennifer Marlon, research scientist and professor at the Yale School of the Environment, blamed climate change and told CNN, "It’s very strange to hear about severe wildfires in Hawaii – a wet, tropical island – but strange events are becoming more common with climate change."

The situation resembled what experts refer to as a "wildland-urban interface fire," in which the flames started in vegetation but quickly expanded into urban areas, moving from building to building.

According to climate scientist Daniel Swain, several factors combined to cause this occurrence, which caused the fire to spread from its initial spot into the heavily populated urban area and cause structure-to-structure combustion.

How did the Maui fire spread so fast?

Several factors, particularly strong winds, and unfavorable weather, have contributed to the Hawaii wildfires. Drought will worsen as global temperatures rise, according to scientists, who are still working to fully comprehend how the climate catastrophe will affect Hawaii.

Wildfires can be sparked by vegetation and dried-out terrain, and if high winds help drive the flames toward communities, they can quickly turn deadly.

According to the Fourth US National Climate Assessment, issued in 2018, drought conditions have grown increasingly severe and frequent in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands.

Marlon wrote in an email, "Combining abundant fuels with heat, drought, and strong wind gusts is a perfect recipe for out-of-control fires. But this is what climate change is doing – it’s super-charging extreme weather."

Hurricane Dora fueling Maui wildfires

Hawaii was already experiencing drought during its dry season, which made things worse. The situation is made worse by Hurricane Dora, a quick-moving Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph sustained winds.

The National Weather Service reported "very strong and damaging winds," as the storm raged south of Hawaii and a potent high-pressure system remained in place to the north.

Through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service warned that "these strong winds coupled with low humidity levels are producing dangerous fire weather conditions."

According to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, the dry relative humidity, persistent drought conditions, and strong winds are "ingredients to spark those fires and to fan the flames."

El Nino is yet another aggravating factor, according to Abby Frazier, a climatologist, and geographer at Clark University in Massachusetts. She noted, "This means higher than usual hurricane activity in the central Pacific this summer."

Climate change and non-native species impact Maui's wildfires

The effects of increased fossil fuel use are making the influence of climate change on Hawaii's wildfires more and more obvious. Extreme weather occurrences, such as the flames that are currently hitting Maui, have increased in frequency and severity due to the climate crisis.

According to Clay Trauernicht, an assistant specialist studying tropical fire at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, non-native species now make up roughly a quarter of Hawaii's total land area, and invasive grasses and bushes become extremely flammable during the dry season.

According to Trauernicht, Hawaii has lost a number of sizable plantations and ranches as fire-prone grasses engulf unused areas. Hawaii has also experienced abrupt changes in rainfall patterns.

Hawaii has limited firefighting resources

Limited firefighting resources and Hawaii's position as an island chain in the Pacific further complicate activities. In 2021, the second-largest fire in the state broke out on the Big Island, and less than 300 firefighters were called to the scene, according to Trauernicht.

According to the agency website, employees at the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife are mostly natural resource managers, foresters, biologists, and technicians — not full-time wildland firefighters.

It's critical to understand that the unfolding calamity on Maui has a number of causes, with the climate crisis unquestionably playing a significant role. In consequence, these stronger storms may produce stronger wind occurrences like the one that started the Maui fires.