Explained | What's behind Maui wildfires? How has the situation gotten so worse?

At least 36 people died after the catastrophic wildfires ravaged the resort city of Lahaina on Hawaii's Maui island, in the United States. Thousands of people have been impacted, with the majority being displaced.

Amid dire state, United States President Joe Biden on Thursday (August 10) declared the Hawaii wildfires a "major disaster". The president unblocked federal funds for the island of Maui.

A White House statement said: "Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaii and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires."

The White House said that the president "expressed his deep condolences for the lives lost and vast destruction of land and property".

How has the situation gotten so worse?

Reports have mentioned that the brushfires on Maui's west coast broke out Tuesday (August 8) and rapidly engulfed the seaside town of Lahaina, a popular tourist attraction.The fire has been fueled by high winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south — across the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles south of the Hawaiian islands.

The National Weather Service said that the powerful winds were generated by the hurricane, whichhas been classified as Category 4 by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Heavy wind gusts above 60 miles per hour tore through Maui.

In a post shared on X, previously known as Twitter, The National Weather Service said on Sunday that "while Hurricane Dora passes well south with no direct impacts here, the strong pressure gradient between it & the high pressure to the north creates a threat of damaging winds & fire weather (due to ongoing dry conditions) from early Mon to Wed."

While well to the south of the Hawaiian Islands, Hurricane Dora is creating strong winds across the Islands which are creating dangerous fire conditions. https://t.co/12ut6VYhbx — National Weather Service (@NWS) August 9, 2023

Rescue operation underway

The deadly fire forced some residents to jumpinto the ocean. US-based media outlets have mentioned that the US Coast Guard said crews had rescued over a dozen people who jumped into the Lahaina harbour in an effort to escape the flames and smoke.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement that the fires have put homes, businesses and utilities at risk, as well as more than 35,000 people on the island of Maui. The fires have burned more than 2,000 acres of land.

On Wednesday, officials said that more than 270 buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the seriously affected Lahaina. In a statement, the Maui county government said: "As the firefighting efforts continue, 36 total fatalities have been discovered today amid the active Lahaina fire."

"High, gusty winds and dry conditions put much of Hawai'i under a Red Flag Warning that ended late Wednesday, and more fires were burning on the Big Island and Maui," according to the state emergency agency.

"Much of Lahaina on Maui has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced," said Governor Josh Green of the 12,000-resident historic town.

According to a statement on the County of Maui's official Facebook page, visitors to Maui were asked by county officials to leave the island "as soon as possible". Several buses have been organised to shuttle travellers from a hotel to Kahului Aiport in trips that started Wednesday afternoon.

The county said: "Due to limited resources in this time of crisis, visitors with vehicles or any means of transportation are being asked to leave Lahaina and Maui as soon as possible."

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What's the reason behind the Maui fire?

US media reports mentioned that the exact cause of the blaze is still unknown, but as quoted by the Scientific American, Robert Bohlin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's (NWS's) office in Honolulu, said that the devastating Maui fires are the product of a confluence of weather conditions — strong winds, dry vegetation and low humidity. The stage was set by drought conditions across various parts of the state's islands, especially Maui.

As quoted Bohlin said, "This is the time of year when we start to dry out." As per the US Drought Monitor, the typical dryness has been exacerbated by weaker-than-normal trade winds that have kept the rain away. it further said that drought dries out grasses and other vegetation, making them more likely to ignite in a wildfire.

Several #wildfires are burning across parts of Hawaii this week, fueled in part by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south. @NOAA's GOESWest was tracking the hotspots and smoke from the fires as they burned across parts of Maui and the Big Island yesterday evening.… pic.twitter.com/WzApS2ddTi — NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) August 9, 2023

How do wildfires usually start?

The National Park Service said in a report that almost 85 per cent of wildfires in the United States are caused by humans. The report mentioned that fires that are sparked this way can result accidentally from leaving campfires unattended, burning debris, using various kinds of equipment and discarding cigarettes improperly. The agency said that intentional acts of arson are another source of human-caused wildfires.

Besides man-made things, there are some natural reasons as well such as lightning and volcanic activities. As per reports, the officials note that lightning strikes are a much more common catalyst.

(With inputs from agencies)

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