Hurricane-induced wildfires in Hawaii have expanded to at least two islands, burning down structures and forcing the evacuation of locals, some of whom leaped into the water to escape the flames.
The National Weather Service stated that the high gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, which not only aided the spread of the fire but also caused power outages and grounded firefighting aircraft, were most likely caused by Hurricane Dora, which had been passing the archipelago at a safe distance.
On the Hawaiian island of Maui, fire departments have been combating a number of brush fires that have mostly affected a tourist-friendly interior and western region. There have also been reports of fires on the island of Hawaii, which lies southeast of Maui.
According to Coast Guard Lt. Elaine Simon, residents of Lahaina used the sea as a place of safety, but heavy black smoke was being blown toward the water by the wind. Later, the Coast Guard acknowledged that it had saved 12 individuals and that more were being saved. How many persons were still in the water remained unknown.
The wind gusts prevented helicopters from dropping water on the fires from the air or measuring more exactly the surface area of the fire, and firefighters were working inland fires on roads that were obstructed by falling trees and power lines, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin told the Associated Press.
Maui’s estimated 13,000 consumers were without electricity as of Tuesday night, according to Hawaiian Electric.
Inland Maui had gusts as high as 80 mph (129 kph), and the strong winds caused one fire that had been thought to be out earlier in the day on Tuesday to flare up again hours later.
Hawaii’s fires differ significantly from many of those raging in the American West. They are often considerably smaller than flames on the mainland and tend to start in expansive grasslands on the drier edges of the islands.
Before humans arrived, fires were uncommon in Hawaii and on other tropical islands, and native ecosystems evolved without them. This means that when fires start, they result in exponentially significant environmental harm.
