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re: Wildfires on Maui Island - Evacuations - People Fleeing into Ocean

Posted on 8/10/23 at 9:29 am to
Posted by loogaroo
Welsh
Member since Dec 2005
30754 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 9:29 am to
quote:

The cause for this one should be interesting when they determine what it was. That's a whole lot of urban loss. You can track it in blocks (houses/property) via satellite. Each structure shows up on hot spot detection.


Wasn't it powerlines?

I think that area is prone to drought every so often. Combine that with progressive policies and you get shite like this. Just like Cali a few years ago.
This post was edited on 8/10/23 at 9:38 am
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
54369 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 9:32 am to
quote:

Wasn't it powerlines?


I think that would be the leader in the clubhouse. But, there's apparently a good bit of chatter about it possibly being linked to homeless encampments. So, either arson or human-caused, which wouldn't be surprising in the least.

With the winds and dry conditions any ignition was going to be a problem.
Posted by MorbidTheClown
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2015
66021 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 9:34 am to






Posted by loogaroo
Welsh
Member since Dec 2005
30754 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 9:39 am to
I bet there's going be a mandatory metal roof policy in the area to rebuild.
Posted by TejasHorn
High Plains Driftin'
Member since Mar 2007
10950 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 10:16 am to
Homeless people and powerlines have been in Maui forever and maybe one or the other started a fire as has happened in the past. Wildfires aren’t a new thing there.

The drought and heat have been worse than usual this summer and that side of the island was basically kindling.
Posted by real turf fan
East Tennessee
Member since Dec 2016
8666 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 10:21 am to
SIAP Daily Mail now has a large series of before the fires and after as slider pictures.
LINK
The first one from directly overhead is the least impressive (IMO) but then the rest show total devastation for a lot of that community.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
54369 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 11:04 am to
quote:

The drought and heat have been worse than usual this summer and that side of the island was basically kindling.

I can kind of agree with drought being an issue, but it isn't even a remarkable drought. That area is in a Moderate Drought (Level 2/4), which I'd wager may be quite common this time of year. That drought hasn't worsened much in the past month.

The heat wave, though, doesn't seem to be impacting Hawaii all that much, if at all. The closest official weather station to the fires (admittedly there aren't many) has recorded below normal temperatures pretty much all Summer. The average high for every Summer month has been below Normal.
This post was edited on 8/10/23 at 11:07 am
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
54369 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 11:35 am to
Another big complicating/contributing factor, which often gets buried under sensationalism in stories and reports is that Hawaii has been changed significantly over recent decades, purposefully by humans:


Per CNN (deep within an article):
quote:

Nonnative species now cover nearly a quarter of Hawaii’s total land area, and invasive grasses and shrubs become highly flammable in the dry season, Trauernicht said.

Hawaii also has lost large plantations and ranches, with fire-prone grasses overtaking fallow lands, he said.

“When plantations were active, firefighters would show up on scene … people would be there opening the gates, all the roads were maintained, there was water infrastructure and equipment. And they would have support from the people working on these plantations,” Trauernicht said.


You import non-native species, you stop farming and managing the land, and let the non-native species take over......and here we are.

The reality is that non-native plant species are just not adapted to the conditions of the area. They literally become kindling when not managed. They don't cope with fire the way native species do. Couple that with farmland, that often functions as a fire break, has fallen into disuse and been overrun with the species, and you have a major problem when it gets dry and the wind picks up.

This post was edited on 8/10/23 at 11:36 am
Posted by Big Daddy Kayne
Member since May 2020
419 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 12:57 pm to
My wife and loved Maui. We fondly remember the Old Lahaina Luau.
Posted by rsb831
Member since Oct 2007
481 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 1:23 pm to
quote:

We prefer Kauai for normal vacations and have been there probably in every month of the year

Obtuse,

If you see this and have any Kauai recs, please let me know. Heading over in a couple of weeks. Three nights at 1 Hotel Hanalei, three nights at Grand Hyatt.

Email is username at yahoo.com or post here. TIA.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
54369 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 6:49 pm to
Death toll is now up to 53.
Posted by Tarps99
Lafourche Parish
Member since Apr 2017
7464 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 6:59 pm to
quote:

Sounds bad over there - strong winds aided by Hurricane Dora


In this case would a 5% wind deductible apply since it was a named storm that aided the fire.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
54369 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 7:11 pm to
quote:

In this case would a 5% wind deductible apply since it was a named storm that aided the fire.

The technicalities of such are currently being debated on WxTwitter....or is it WxX now?

The consensus seems to be that the winds would have been a problem even without the hurricane to the south. The storm did give the winds a bump, but probably not significantly so.
Posted by TutHillTiger
Mississippi Alabama
Member since Sep 2010
43700 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 7:48 pm to
Even The damn fishing boats are on fire
Posted by dallastigers
Member since Dec 2003
5715 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 8:27 pm to
What has Oprah been doing with her multiple properties on the island.

She owns almost 1000 acres of agricultural land near where other fires were on island.
quote:

Oprah Winfrey owns 2,000 acres of land on Maui, including 1,000 acres of agricultural land in Kula. The Kula agricultural land is shown in the red dotted lines. Google Maps

Posted by Dizz
Member since May 2008
14735 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 8:37 pm to
quote:

apparently a good bit of chatter about it possibly being linked to homeless encampments. So, either arson or human-caused, which wouldn't be surprising in the least.


Did you see the videos/pictures of massive amounts of power lines down from the 60mph winds. I am sure the “chatter” is from well informed local sources. Downed power lines, very dry conditions, tons of wind but yeah it was probably homeless people.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
54369 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 8:49 pm to
quote:

Did you see the videos/pictures of massive amounts of power lines down from the 60mph winds. I am sure the “chatter” is from well informed local sources. Downed power lines, very dry conditions, tons of wind but yeah it was probably homeless people.

Well, if you're a betting man your money would be much wiser placed on arson or negligent human cause for pretty much any wildfire.
This post was edited on 8/10/23 at 8:50 pm
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
54369 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 9:15 pm to
quote:

The drought and heat have been worse than usual this summer and that side of the island was basically kindling.

I took the time and looked into it, mainly for my own curiosity.

The drought in that part of Hawaii is nothing at all unusual for this time of year. Drought Monitor records have been kept since 2000 (or those are at least the most accessible years for comparison). Comparing the same weeks, of the 23 years on record 17 years have had equal or worse droughts than this one. I just wanted to make sure I was right in saying that there is nothing all that remarkable about the current drought there.

The heat wave many are experiencing also hasn't been an issue for that area, or really pretty much all of Hawaii.
Posted by SDVTiger
Cabo San Lucas
Member since Nov 2011
73862 posts
Posted on 8/10/23 at 9:35 pm to
This was so terrible

Lahaina is one the best places ever. Cant believe its totally gone
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