Wildfires fanned by winds of a distant hurricane killed at least six people and devastated much of Hawaii's Maui island on Wednesday, forcing thousands to evacuate as some people fled into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames.
Multiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island, including the tourist resort of Lahaina, was nearly cut off with only one highway open as officials told of widespread devastation that was still too early to quantify.
"We just had the worst disaster I've ever seen. All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp. It's like an apocalypse," said Lahaina resident Mason Jarvi, who escaped from city.
Jarvi showed Reuters pictures he took of the ashen-colored destruction along the Lahaina waterfront. Wearing shorts, he also showed blisters on his thigh that he said he suffered when riding through flames on his electric bike to save his dog.
With firefighters still battling three major blazes, western Maui was closed to all but emergency workers and evacuees.
At least 4,000 tourists were still trying to leave western Maui, said Ed Sniffen of the Hawaii Department of Transportation. Though at least 16 roads were closed, the Maui airport was still operating fully and airlines were dropping fares and offering waivers to get people off the island, Sniffen said.
Panicked evacuees posted images on social media showing clouds of smoke billowing over once-idyllic beaches and palm trees.
"I was the last one off the dock when the firestorm came through the banyan trees and took everything with it. And I just ran out and helped everyone I could along the way," said Dustin Johnson, who was in Lahaina Harbor working for a charter boat company that offers two-hour tours. He spoke from Kahului Airport, normally a 25-minute drive east of Lahaina.
Some people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue them, according to a Maui County press release.
Officials said they were looking into witness reports of people being trapped in their cars.
"Our main focus now is to save lives, preventing human suffering, and mitigating great property loss," Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen told a news briefing.
Bissen had few details about the deaths, saying he had just been informed of the number before the briefing started.
"Everything is fluid and dynamic. They are doing search and rescue as we speak," said National Guard Major General Kenneth Hara, urging tourists to leave Maui, adding they could seek refuge at a convention center in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.
Evacuation efforts were complicated by power outages and disruption to cell phone service, as communication with the west side of Maui was only available via satellite, Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke said.
"We have shelters that are overrun. We have resources that are being taxed," Luke said. The state had opened at least five evacuation shelters, she added.
The situation in Hawaii recalled scenes of devastation elsewhere in the world this summer, as wildfires caused by record-setting heat forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Greece, Spain, Portugal, and other parts of Europe, and western Canada suffered unusually severe fires.
Human-caused climate change, driven by fossil fuel use, is increasing the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events, scientists say, having long warned that government officials must slash emissions to prevent climate catastrophe.
The White House issued a message of condolence from President Joe Biden, who praised the work of firefighters and ordered "all available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response."
Besides the Hawaiian National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy Third Fleets were assisting search and rescue efforts on Maui and the U.S. Marines were sending helicopters to the Big Island, while the U.S. Department of Transportation aided evacuation efforts, Biden said.
The cause in Maui had yet to be determined but the National Weather Service said the fires were fueled by a mix of dry vegetation, strong winds, and low humidity. According to the University of Hawaii, large fires are an almost annual occurrence in some parts of the Hawaiian archipelago, though the scope of these fires was unusual.
By Tuesday night, hundreds of acres had already burned and roads and schools had closed in parts of Hawaii and Maui Counties, according to an emergency proclamation issued by Luke. Hawaii County encompasses the Big Island, which lies south of Maui.
Officials said the winds from Hurricane Dora fanned the flames across the state. The storm was about 860 miles (1,380 km) southwest of Honolulu as of 11 a.m. local time (2100 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said.
The worst of the high winds should end by late Wednesday or early Thursday, said Ian Martin, an NWS forecaster in Honolulu.
© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023.
26 Comments
Redemption
Terrible and unbelievable.
sunfunbun
Cannot believe Lahaina has mostly burned. Really sad to hear.
Another case of global warming drying up an area that shouldn't be starved of water. It isn't a hoax, conservative dummies. Global warming is affecting the world, and it's getting real, now. It's been predicted for a long time, but the non critical thinking conservative set wasn't capable of finding truths thru science and evidence because they refuse to comprehend.
Rodney
Bad news for Insurance companies because the average house in Hawaii is probably $2 million.
Seigi
Maui will eventually become a deserted island...
wallace
Very sad news for a place we love.
Sultan of Words
Feel sorry for the people.
Desert Tortoise
Depending on the county single family homes sell for $900K to $1.23M, with a $1M median. Condos go for less.
UChosePoorly
Found the guy who didn’t get lei’d on his Hawaiian vacation.
Roy Sophveason
You may be thinking of the Apocalypse, the biblical event, the total destruction at the end of the world. Which of course this isn't.
In contrast, an apocalypse is, to quote Cambridge, "a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change." Merriam-Webster even has a definition "a large, disastrous fire". And that seems fitting.
virusrex
Yet people will come and downplay the loses and death as something "common" and without importance just to justify to themselves not doing anything about climate change.
There is no reasonable doubt left, these kind of events are going to become more common as predicted by the scientists and the losses will accumulate precisely because too many people were easily manipulated into being in denial of the risks.
Alan Ochoa
Yamaneko
They are quite literally burning to death bro, what's the point of being so pedantic right now???
TaiwanIsNotChina
That's why the Japanese go there, huh?
Mark
How sad, we were there last year hard to believe this is happening, hope everyone is safe.
cuddly
Another reminder of the force of Mother Nature, as the recent hurricane was likely the main contributing factor to these fires, according to experts. At the same time, this is an extremely uncommon event to occur in Hawaii, so it is further proof of the inability of human activity to control nature.
tora
I know eh. The latest is: the world is burning. Yeah ain't be no forest fires in all of history until now.
And most of the mass media silent on the snow the other day in the Alps of Italy: A very short mention here:
https://www.theguardian.com/weather/video/2023/aug/07/italy-storm-brings-thick-layer-of-hail-and-flooding-to-north-east-video
virusrex
That is false, the experts quoted in the article do not say the hurricane was the main factor:
These factors have been correlated with the many consequences of human activity derived climate change, which of course is by definition not natural.
So if this was common it would prove the opposite? this is a non-sequitur.
Of course human activity can AFFECT nature very strongly as demonstrated by climate change, and it can be used to control the consequences and importance of disasters.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Flooding is not a positive. Even your example could be evidence of climate change.
Roy Sophveason
Snow in the Alps isn't newsworthy, even in summer. Italy, Austria and Switzerland have several summer ski regions.
What you linked was a massive hailstorm, by the way.
cuddly
Wrong! Forgot to do some research huh?
As I noted, a hurricane was the main contributing factor:
*Maui fires: six people killed in unprecedented Hawaii wildfires* fanned by Hurricane Dora
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/09/hawaii-fires-maui-hurricane
So, once again your trolling is revealed.
virusrex
The quote is there, the hurricane did not reduce humidity nor made the vegetation dry, only produced the winds, that contradicts your personal claim that it was the main contributing factor, no expert said that only you did.
Again attacking other commenters instead of using arguments? you do that every time something you comment is disproved so you can get those comments deleted by the mods, it would be much more productive if you did not make those mistaken comments in the first place instead of taunting the mods by breaking the rules of the site.
cuddly
The experts in the published article coherently maintain the fires were fanned by winds from the hurricane.
Do you have evidence contradicting the experts?
Yes? No?
cuddly
Again, your trolling is breaking the rules of this site. Why taunt the mods continuously like that and try and hide behind attacking other posters?
gcFd1
Multiple news sources emphasize the effect of the hurricane.
Denying it is either trolling, ignorance, or both. Plain and simple.
*The fires on Maui started spreading widely Tuesday – fueled in part by violent winds from Hurricane Dora, churning more than 800 miles away*
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/09/weather/maui-county-wildfires-hurricane-dora/index.html