Maui Fires Spark Burning Questions
Starting on Aug. 8, a series of wildfires driven by Hurricane Dora smited the island of Maui, Hawaii. It has been estimated by the Maui police department that the wildfires took nearly 100 lives, with 30 more missing, making it the deadliest wildfire in the past 100 years. Additionally, at least 2,200 buildings have been destroyed, which is estimated to be $5.5 billion dollars in property damage (University of Hawaii).
The damage of the fire is indisputable; however, the cause is currently up for debate. The Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), the largest provider of electricity for Hawaii residents, has been blamed for causing the wildfires due to its refusal to turn off power lines even when alerted of the fragility of the system under the hazardous weather conditions. Many witnessed felled power lines sparking fires, and the poor quality of the company’s wooden electrical poles, exposed to the elements, did not help the issue (The Guardian). This led to multiple lawsuits being filed against HECO, including one from the County of Maui itself. Although there is a lack of clear evidence, scientists also suspect climate change to have contributed to the wildfires. They argue that parts of Maui have been facing severe drought due to the changes in temperature and precipitation levels, which made them susceptible to burning (Cable News Network). These invasive plants put the area under a risk of catching fire since they are highly flammable, fueling the spread of the fire. Although scientists requested funds to ensure safety measures, these requests were often sidelined (National Broadcasting Company). Advanced Placement Environmental Science, Biology Honors and Physiology and Anatomy teacher Ben Smith agrees that they lack enough data to pinpoint one single cause of the wildfires.
“While data is still being gathered on the causes of the Maui fires, experts are placing a great deal of focus on the primary cause being active power lines,” Smith said. “[They were] blown over due to the high winds of the hurricane, causing vegetation that was relatively dry to ignite and quickly spread. Regarding the climate issues, it is currently noted by most experts that climate change of the warming variety is associated with an increase in hurricane wind intensity. [As for] human environmental interference, experts have noted several factors that magnified the fire outbreaks: active power lines were blown over and started the fire, and vegetation was not maintained.”
In addition, the Maui government’s insufficient response to the wildfires during the early stages escalated the situation as the government claimed the fire had been contained completely, did not use the world’s largest sirens that it claims to have and did not send out any form of warning to the residents (British Broadcasting Corporation). Sophomore Bella Lizaso, who is of Pacific Islander descent and was visiting Maui with her family during the firestorm, believes that the government’s addressing of the situation was insufficient and that it should have taken earlier actions to prevent further casualties.
“When we were there, [the government] did [not] fully issue a warning,” Lizaso said. “We got a broadcast [stating] that there was a small brush fire that was nothing critical and [were advised] to stay put and not evacuate. Once we tried to drive back to our hotel there was a huge line of cars and all the police were turning people around…We were able to rest [in our Airbnb] for two hours when at two in the morning smoke started coming into our room and we quickly evacuated. It was three a.m. and we saw huge clouds of smoke from the fire next to us. We had lost all our luggage; we only had our rental car and phones which all had died with no charger.”
The fire caused irreversible damage to the town of Lahaina, Maui, as at least four museums and thousands of artifacts were burned; some of these cherished items included an original flag of the Hawaiian kingdom, Hawaiian feather work, furniture, photographs and objects made of kapa, a traditional type of fabric made with tree bark (Archeological Institution of America). This was partly due to the fact that the town itself contained several old wooden structures that proved easily flammable (Time).
Maui’s economy has taken a nosedive as businesses in the area struggle with the cost of damage (Reuters). Additionally, the fires caused a great reduction in the number of tourists, which is worrisome due to the fact that the majority of the island’s profits come from the travel and resort industry. Before the wildfire, the passenger count to Kahului Airport in Maui was 7,000 a day; following the wildfire, the count decreased to 2,000 a day with over 20,000 passengers canceling their flights to Hawaii (Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism). However, senior Julian Lona, who is passionate about the environmental impacts of the fires, believes tourism in Maui will bounce back with the implementation of the right safety measures.
“I definitely love Maui,” Lona said. “I very much want to go back and visit the place again. A fire like this [will not] stop the people from visiting [the area] and it will bring in more revenue, more tourism and more support. It is very important to have a better fire fighting force more readily available. Removal of certain dry materials around the city [is also important]; that way there would be a natural barrier that would prevent the fire from getting through, as well as more funding for the construction of more fire resistant buildings. [By introducing the] correct fire prevention, [nobody will] suffer as much as they did from this fire.”
