Scientists have new theory on what caused the Maui wildfire that left 100 people dead – and it wasn’t the nearby hurricane that thrashed the islands
Nearly four months after the Lahaina Fire devastated Maui, leaving 100 people dead and 6,000 homeless, scientists have unveiled a new theory for the cause of the deadliest wildfire in American history.
The theory refutes previous speculation linking the wildfire to nearby Hurricane Dora, which hit the island.
According to laboratory models, the wildfire was actually caused by the same meteorological event that caused California’s most destructive wildfires – a hillside storm.
Video documenting the fire showed a wind-driven firestorm, but due to power outages during the storm, scientists were unsure of the factors that caused the destruction.
Atmospheric researchers have now modeled the weather and fire trends in west Maui on Aug. 8 to better understand what made the Lahaina Fire so destructive.
Nearly four months after the Lahaina Fire devastated Maui, leaving 100 people dead and 6,000 homeless, scientists have unveiled a new theory for the cause of the deadliest wildfire in American history.
According to laboratory models, the wildfire was actually caused by the same meteorological event that caused California’s most destructive wildfires – a hillside storm. The photo shows the wreckage of a house on the ocean shore
An aerial view shows destroyed homes and buildings that burned to the ground around the harbor and Front Street in the historic town of Lahaina after wildfires in west Maui, Hawaii.
In Lahaina, the main cause of the devastating fires was a strong high pressure system north of the Hawaiian Islands that intensified easterly trade winds, researchers said.
When these winds encountered the high mountains of western Maui, they intensified as they descended the mountain, reaching hurricane strength at Lahaina. This pattern is known as a hurricane on the slope.
Small changes in normal summer weather can lead to major wildfires on Maui.
Modeling by the University of Nevada-Reno and the State University of New York at Buffalo showed sustained winds of nearly 80 mph in Lahaina on Aug. 8, with occasional gusts capable of exceeding 90 mph.
Research from the University of Hawaii and the University of Washington also modeled similar wind speeds.
Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington who modeled the Maui event, said the combination of flammable fuels, high winds and an ignition source is a repeating recipe for destructive fires.
“There’s a real story here for Californians because what happened on Maui, what happened in the Marshall Fire, what happened in Paradise… it’s all the same thing,” Mass told reporters. Chronicles of San Francisco.
A search of debris on the island of Maui on Thursday revealed a desert of burned-out homes and destroyed communities as firefighters battled a stubborn blaze that has made it the deadliest in the United States in years.
Burnt wreckage of a boat on Thursday, August 10, in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Where houses once stood are now ash and slag. Thousands of people lost their homes and hundreds were missing 48 hours after the fires
An aerial view of Lahaina after wildfires ripped through the town on the Hawaiian island of Maui on August 10.
An aerial view shows a historic banyan tree along with destroyed homes, boats and buildings that burned to the ground in the historic town of Lahaina after wildfires in west Maui, Hawaii, on August 10.
Aerial views of the community of Lahaina
The situation at Lahaina included a wet winter followed by a dry summer, causing grasses to grow exclusively in the spring, creating dense fuel ready to burn.
Conditions like this often occur in California, where winter rains cause grass to grow and then dry out in the summer and fall.
California winds like Santa Anas in Southern California and Diablos in the Bay Area typically occur in the fall, when dry grass increases the risk of fire.
In August, officials said 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people were injured.
About 6,200 people are still struggling to find housing as their beloved city of Maui struggles to recover.
The housing crisis has worsened, with thousands of people in desperate need of housing after being stuck in 33 hotels, according to the American Red Cross.
Among them is one retiree who repeatedly moved between shelters with his family of five as he tried to cover his expenses, according to Washington Post.
Debris from a forest fire is shown on August 10.
Shocked Maui residents survey the damage from a wildfire that claimed 36 lives Tuesday night.
People gather waiting for flights at Kahului Airport on Wednesday. Several thousand Maui residents fled their homes as fires swept across the island.
Others are living in unlicensed rental apartments until the end of the month, when financial difficulties are likely to force them to leave the islands.
Many people are also camping on the beach, advocating for a long-term housing solution for fire survivors.
One Lahaina woman of 25 years plans to move to Florida with her husband, mother, two children and three dogs so the insurance payout on their destroyed home will last longer.
“This is the saddest Christmas we’ve ever had,” Amy Chadwick told the Washington Post. “We are in the first phase of a mass exodus. If something doesn’t change, thousands and thousands of people will leave.”
Wildfire and local, state and federal government agencies are working tirelessly to find solutions to the worsening housing crisis, but many residents told the publication they don’t think they could act quickly enough.