67 deaths, tourists forced to jump into the sea to escape, directly hitting the Maui Island fire in Hawaii: tourist town devastated | California | Fire | Maui Island, Hawaii
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The death toll from wildfires in Hawaii has risen to 67
According to Xinhua News Agency, Los Angeles, August 11th, Maui County, Hawaii, USA, announced on the 11th that 12 more people were confirmed dead in the fire that day. As of 13:00 local time, the wildfire had caused at least 67 deaths.
In addition, the government of Maoi County reported the latest situation of the fire on the 11th, and 80% of the fire in the famous tourist town of Lahaina on Maoi Island, which was severely affected, has been brought under control. The government of Maoyi County stated that previous search and rescue efforts have been focused on the exterior of buildings and streets, while the search for the interior of buildings will begin later on the 11th, with an expected surge in the number of deaths.
On the 8th local time, a fierce fire broke out on Maui Island, Hawaii, USA.
【 Previous reports 】
On the 8th local time, a fierce fire broke out on Maui Island, Hawaii, USA. The government of Maoi County reported that as of the evening of the 10th local time, it has been confirmed that 55 people have died in the famous tourist town of Lahaina on Maoi Island.
On the island of Maui, thousands of buildings were destroyed, and the famous seaside resort town of La Haina was almost completely burned down. Thousands of tourists attempted to escape Maui Island, stating that their isolated and helpless situation at the time was simply a nightmare.
The tourist town was devastated and almost completely burned down
La Haina Town is located in the northwest of Maui Island and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States, attracting approximately 2 million visitors annually. The aerial video shows that the buildings on the beach in La Haina have been flattened, the beach is full of ruins, the ships parked in the harbor have been burned black, and the charred trees are emitting black smoke.
Some tourists reported that they only received evacuation notices at the last moment and were unable to contact the outside world, almost being engulfed by the fire.
Visitor Brian from Los Angeles, California: It's really scary. We were staying at a hotel a few kilometers north of Lahaina town, and we were forgotten and didn't know what had happened. There was no mobile signal, no TV, and no internet. We saw thick smoke rising, and yesterday we suddenly received a notice to evacuate. It was really the last minute, and there was no warning in advance. Let's hurry up and leave.
Tourist Siara from Los Angeles, California: I think it's too scary. Walking between burned down houses feels like being blown up by a bomb, and all cars filled with gasoline explode when they catch fire.
The fire is raging, and tourists jump into the sea to escape
Due to the rapid fire, some people were even forced to jump into the sea to escape the fire and smoke. Visek, a tourist from Fresno, California, USA, came to La Haina, Hawaii for vacation with his wife and five children. When he was caught in a fire, there was no one to rescue him and he had to jump into the sea.
Visitor Visek from Fresno, California: We had to get off the car and escape. I, my wife, and all five children jumped into the sea. We have found a floating board, and we can only float on the sea, which is beyond imagination. Everything is on fire, there are explosions, cars are exploding, ashes are flying everywhere, we can't breathe, we can't breathe, there's almost no oxygen left, only carbon dioxide. We are too tired, exhausted, and even scattered by the waves. Fortunately, we persevered and didn't die. We are here and still alive.
Hawaii Governor Green said that as rescue operations continue, the number of fatalities from the fire may further increase, and at the same time, the fire has left thousands of people homeless and waiting to be resettled.
La Haina helicopter pilot: I didn't expect to see such a scene. I have been working as a helicopter pilot on Maui Island for 52 years and have experienced various fires, but the damage caused by those fires is less than one percent of this time.
Why is the Maui Fire in Hawaii so fierce?
According to data from the California Fire Department, the Maui Island fire has become the second deadliest fire in the United States in the past 100 years, second only to the Camp fire that caused 85 deaths in November 2018. What factors are causing the Maui Island fire to be so severe that Hawaii is in an unprecedented crisis?
1. US media: Rare drought provides conditions for the spread of wildfires
According to a report by CNN on the 10th, the weekly drought monitoring report released on the same day in the United States showed that the drought in Hawaii has intensified in the past week, leading to the spread of fires. The severe drought area in Maui County increased from 5% last week to 16%, while the moderate drought area in the entire state of Hawaii increased from 6% to 14%.
Experts say that such drought conditions are closely related to climate change.
University of Virginia environmentalist Vincat Lakshmi: Between August 1st and 8th, you saw a rare drought spreading in this area. This is a sudden drought, with the land rapidly drying up and vegetation rapidly drying up due to less precipitation and more evaporation. Climate change has exacerbated the occurrence of extreme weather, resulting in more frequent floods and droughts.
2. US National Weather Service: Hurricane impact, strong winds boost wildfires
The dry land and vegetation provided conditions for the spread of the fire, and this time, Hawaii was hit by strong winds to ignite it. The fire quickly spread to the community, causing fatal consequences. The National Weather Service of the United States has pointed out that Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 hurricane, is raging in southern Hawaii and has generated "extremely destructive winds" on Maui Island due to its peripheral effects.
Craig Clements, a professor of meteorology at the State University of San Jose: If a building catches fire in strong winds, the ignited ashes will be blown away by the wind, igniting the next building, which is why the fire is developing so quickly.
3. American expert: Invasive species are highly flammable during the dry season
In addition to drought and strong winds, changes in land use have also played a role in boosting the fire. Tropical Fire Researcher Tranicht at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, stated that currently, invasive species cover nearly a quarter of Hawaii's total land area, while invasive species such as Guinea grass and shrubs are highly flammable during the dry season.
4. US media: Hawaii lacks full-time field firefighters
It is worth noting that the geographical location and limited firefighting resources of Hawaii have made firefighting work more complex.
According to CNN, the staff of Hawaii's Department of Forestry and Wildlife are mainly natural resource managers, forest rangers, biologists, and technicians, while there is a lack of full-time field firefighters. Hawaii's geographical location also makes it difficult to dispatch firefighters from other states in a timely manner. In 2021, the second largest fire in the history of the state occurred in the western part of Maui County, with less than 300 firefighters participating in the firefighting.
