Hawaii Wildfires

It seems like there has been so many wildfires recently across the world. This prevalence is a concerning issue and has many implications. Wildfires are caused by a variety of ways– some of which are human activities, lightning strikes, heat sources, or even hurricane winds. In the case of the current wildfires in Hawaii, hurricane winds are responsible. Hurricane winds can cause wildfires in many different ways. Some are that hurricane winds can down power lines, leading to electrical sparks that may start fires, and can then spread if they ignite dry vegetation or other flammable materials; cause trees to fall, resulting in debris which can act as fuel for fire; carry burning embers over long distances; or interact with other weather systems ,such as thunderstorms, that produce lightning.

The Hawaii wildfires have primarily been in Maui, resulting in six people dead and destroying much of the popular tourist town Lahaina. Additionally, many homes, businesses and other structures have been destroyed/damaged. Three wildfires caused the damage and are continuously burning; more than 1,000 acres of the island’s Upcountry, an agricultural inland area that includes Haleakala National Park, have been charred. Evacuations have been ordered in 13 communities and towns and many roads closed around Maui, while roughly 2,100 people have taken refuge in shelters. Maui airports have remained open and at least 2,000 people stayed in them overnight because they couldn’t get flights out. An additional 4,000 visitors were trying to leave the island.

In all, these wildfires in Hawaii are resulting in lots of damages to the people and entire area as a whole. To battle this, Hawaii in particular could adopt comprehensive forest management policies, including controlled burns and defensible space requirements, to reduce fuel loads and limit wildfire spread. Strengthening building codes to enhance fire-resistant construction in vulnerable areas can help protect structures. Early warning systems, community education, and evacuation plans would improve preparedness. Additionally, investing in natural barriers like windbreaks and vegetative buffers can help prevent hurricane winds from causing wildfires by reducing the spread of embers and ignition sources.

Although wildfires have many different cause (and in this case it is hurricane winds), wildfires themselves originate from climate change. Climate change can contribute to wildfires by intensifying hurricane winds, which can knock down power lines and create sparks, while also generating dry and windy conditions after the hurricane passes, increasing the risk of ignition and fire spread in affected areas.