They thought the grass fire was contained, but wind conditions were still extreme. Now the decision to pull firefighters away shortly before the Maui fire reignited has become a flashpoint, as questions mount over whether more could have been done to stave off the destruction.
The Hawaiian Islands do see wildfire from time to time, but the catastrophic Maui fires were spawned by a striking mix of factors, including climate change.Wildfire experts and emergency response managers agree that keeping watch over a contained fire, including mop-up efforts, is important.
Given the fire weather conditions in effect the day of the Maui blaze, it’s likely that investigators will examine whether officials should have ordered widespread evacuations in Lahaina that morning. With downslope wind and low humidity predictions, there were indications the entire town would be threatened if the initial fire got out of control.
Reports reviewing the Oakland-Berkeley Hills fire and other blazes note that little can be done to rein in a Santa Ana-type wind-driven wildfire after ignition. “When the Santa Ana wind is blowing, and a fire occurs in a susceptible area, there is very little that any current fire-suppression forces or technologies can do to resist the spread of the fire,” according to a U.S. Fire Administration report on the 1991 fire. “The results will depend mainly on the fuel that is downwind from the fire and the length of time that the wind continues to push the fire in that direction.
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