Reporter's direct question: How was the wildfire in Hawaii caused? 100000. Hawaii | Governor | Reporter
Maui Island is the second largest island in the Hawaiian Islands, with a population of over 100000. The town of La Haina, with about 13000 residents, is a famous tourist town and was once the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Hawaii. The Maui County wildfire began on the 8th and is the deadliest wildfire in over a century in the United States. Hawaii Governor Green stated that the current losses are approaching $6 billion.
Whether it is the survivors of the disaster, or many American media and netizens who have been questioning in recent days: how did the "deadliest" wildfire in the United States over the past century be caused?
From a natural perspective, multiple factors such as strong winds, drought, and flammable vegetation have jointly created conditions for the explosive spread of wildfires.
![Reporter's direct question: How was the wildfire in Hawaii caused? 100000. Hawaii | Governor | Reporter](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/6f4eca8c41bf456f40eb048555f6599d.jpg)
Meteorological experts point out that global climate change has led to more severe extreme weather disasters, including wildfires. Hurricane Dora, although only passing hundreds of kilometers south of the Hawaiian Islands, intensified the low-pressure system and increased the pressure difference, resulting in strong winds, with winds reaching nearly 130 kilometers per hour in some areas of Maui Island.
At the same time, the recent drought situation on Maui Island has been intensifying, and relevant agency data shows that about 85% of its area is in a moderate to severe drought state.
The media also pointed out that the invasive plants on the island are harmful in terms of "fuel combustion". Previously, there were large areas of pineapple and sugarcane plantations on the island of Hawaii. With the rise of tourism, many plantations gradually became barren, and rapidly growing but flammable foreign grass species spread, covering about 1/4 of Hawaii's land. These wild grasses became an ideal fuel for the spread of wildfires.
![Reporter's direct question: How was the wildfire in Hawaii caused? 100000. Hawaii | Governor | Reporter](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/293cd8df5d8912f0d2b3f711453bf11a.jpg)
Hawaii Governor Green once told the media that when the wildfire broke out, the speed reached 1.6 kilometers per minute.
Reporter: Zeng Hui
Produced by Xinhua News Agency's audio and video department
![Reporter's direct question: How was the wildfire in Hawaii caused? 100000. Hawaii | Governor | Reporter](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/3795a5f4e11389bce7772f4cd0b8fa20.jpg)