Maui has recently been home to deadly wildfires that have taken the lives of at least 115 people, not counting the hundreds injured. The fires have now been identified as the deadliest in the US in the last century with photos and videos from Maui showing the destruction of the fires. Some neighborhoods, including the historic town of Lahaina, have been almost completely burned to ash. Search and rescue efforts still continue as well as firefighters are working hard to contain and put out the fires. On Monday, August 21, President Biden flew to Maui and met with survivors as well as first responders while efforts had begun to rebuild following the destruction of the fires.
Many questions about the fires have been raised, but the main one is to its origin. Hawaii’s typical dry season includes August, when parts of the islands suffer abnormal and severe droughts. According to the US Drought Monitor, most of Maui has fallen under “abnormally dry” levels of drought since the beginning of August, but on August 8, the area became more susceptible to wildfires after escalating to a “severe drought level”. Wildfire activity has increased exponentially over the last century, due to the introduction of invasive flammable grasses, as well as human activity across the island. The Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization reported that “Nonnative grasslands and shrublands now cover nearly one-quarter of Hawaii’s total land area and, together with a warming, drying climate and year-round fire season, greatly increase the incidence of larger fires.” These dry plants together with the drought conditions created the ideal environment for wildfires.
Hawaiian Electric, one of if not the biggest utility companies in Hawaii, is now under scrutiny as victims of the fires question if the precautions the company took were enough to prevent the wildfires as the heavy winds of Hurricane Dora as it passed through. Hawaiian Electric is being sued by attorneys representing Lahaina residents, stating that the equipment was not strong enough to handle the winds across the island. Many of the wildfires in the US are started by strong winds blowing branches or other things onto power lines, causing damage to the line and sparks to catch on the foliage around it. Hawaiian Electric investors appear to be concerned over the recent events as seen when its share price dropped to a little more than a third of its original value. However, Shelee Kimura, the CEO of Hawaiian Electric, stated in a press conference on August 14 that shutting down the power may have led to problems for people using certain kinds of medical equipment.
