Hawaii Wildfires Prompt Evacuations
Coast Guard conducts ocean rescues of people fleeing Maui’s fires Structures have burned and evacuations were ordered on the Hawaiian island of Maui, including Lahaina, a town popular with tourists. The brush fires have been fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora. Photo: Matthew Thayer/The Maui News/AP By Jennifer Calfas Aug. 9, 2023 10:41 am ET Wildfires fueled by hurricane winds have prompted evacuations and road closures in Hawaii as the fast-spreading flames scorch structures. One fire in Maui’s Upcountry area spread to more than 1,000 acres by Tuesday afternoo
Structures have burned and evacuations were ordered on the Hawaiian island of Maui, including Lahaina, a town popular with tourists. The brush fires have been fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora. Photo: Matthew Thayer/The Maui News/AP
Wildfires fueled by hurricane winds have prompted evacuations and road closures in Hawaii as the fast-spreading flames scorch structures.
One fire in Maui’s Upcountry area spread to more than 1,000 acres by Tuesday afternoon. Another blaze in the Lahaina area of the island, which firefighters declared 100% contained Tuesday morning, flared up by the afternoon. Fires also burned on Hawaii’s Big Island, forcing some communities to evacuate.
Several people fled to the ocean due to the smoke and fire, Maui County officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard transported 12 people from the waters off Lahaina to safety. A firefighter battling a fire on Maui was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation. Early Wednesday morning, Maui County officials said 911 service in West Maui wasn’t available. Residents can call the local police directly.
It couldn’t be immediately determined how many structures have been damaged or destroyed by the fires. A video shared on social media showed fire and black smoke billowing across the landscape near buildings. Maui County officials said firefighters are facing challenging conditions—including erratic wind, difficult and steep terrain and falling humidity levels–that make it difficult to predict the path of fires.
A fire in the Lahaina area of Maui on Wednesday.
Photo: zeke kalua/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Winds from Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 hurricane spinning 740 miles southwest of Honolulu, is helping fan these flames. The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning, which indicates extreme fire risk, across the northwestern parts of all Hawaii islands until Wednesday at 6 p.m. local time. Winds of 30 to 45 miles an hour are expected, with gusts reaching 60 mph.
“Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly,” the National Weather Service said.
More than 14,000 customers in Maui County didn’t have power early Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. Hawaiian Electric, which services most residents across the islands, said Tuesday crews were repairing dozens of downed power poles and power lines in Upcountry Maui and West Maui.
Ten public schools on Maui will be closed Wednesday due to the fires, winds and evacuations. Maui High School, one of the schools slated to close, will serve as an evacuation shelter, according to Hawaii’s education department.
Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation Tuesday, activating Hawaii’s national guard to help response efforts. Luke, the state’s lieutenant governor, is acting on behalf of Hawaii Gov. Josh Green,
who is traveling out of the state.“The safety of our residents is paramount,” Luke said.
Write to Jennifer Calfas at [email protected]
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