How is the wildfire going to impact the beautiful Maui Island | Hawaii Wildfire

On 8th August, 2023, fires began in the Maui island of Hawaii. The wildfires have scorched thousands of acres putting homes, businesses and over 35,000 lives at risk (Hawaii Emergency Management Agency). The historic town of Lahaina has been severely affected and the death toll has reached 53. Sadly, this number is expected to rise.
Currently, 3 wildfires are burning through the island in Lahaina, Kihei and Kula regions. Dry conditions and gusts of wind majorly fueled all these. Strong winds from Hurricane Dora are fanning the blazes in the southern region of the archipelago. For many, it was a vacation that turned into a nightmare, as the island is a popular tourist destination and attracts over 2 million annually. Maui’s mayor, Richard T. Bissen Jr., said evacuation orders had been issued for “affected areas,” including Lahaina, but others have been left unattended. Some people resorted to jumping into the Pacific Ocean as they fled the flames.
How is the wildfire going to impact the beautiful Maui Island?
The disaster is projected to bring about drastic ecological changes as well:
Corals:
The Hawaiian coral reefs were already suffering from the consequences of the 2015 marine heatwave. The current wildfire and the destruction caused by it could exacerbate the issue (Jamison Gove, Research Oceanographer. Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center).
Drinking water:
Wildfires have the potential to pollute private wells, water networks and municipal water systems (Andrew Whelton, Professor, environmental and ecological engineering, Purdue University). Water, drawing in materials such as smoke, soot, ash and vapors can result in long-term issues.
Soil Loss:
According to Elizabeth Pickett, Co-Executive Director at the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, “Invasive and fire-prone grass species have moved in over time and during a fire they can burn into native forests, which means the forests are replaced by more grass. The soil burns and sloughs off, leading to massive post-fire erosion that smothers coral, impacts fisheries and reduces the quality of the ocean water.
Wildfires have become all too familiar elsewhere in the world and Human-caused climate change, driven by fossil fuel use is the main reason behind it. Scientists say that countries must slash emissions to prevent such climate catastrophes.

Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi. We publish news and analysis on issues that deal with sustainable development, which we scan through the eyes of science and environment.