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"I encourage the public, if you need to call 911, keep calling in and you'll get through eventually," he said. Were 2023 Maui Fires Caused by a 'Direct Energy Weapon'? The photo was originallyposted on SpaceX's Instagram account. As the scale of the fire's destruction in Maui becomes clear, questions are mounting over whether officials warned residents fast enough. "We don't know what to do, so we just grabbed all our stuffby the time we got in our car, the black smoke was rising," she added. Aug. 12, 2023 3 AM PT Despite the horrific images of a community leveled by fire, the true scope of the Maui fire the worst natural disaster in Hawaii in decades has yet to come into full. The photo is froma Facebook comment on a post by The Canton Repository, a local paper, requesting that residents share images of the burn at the Marathon Petroleum refinery. The head of the state's emergency management agency, Adam Weintraub, told the Associated Press this week that records do not suggest that those sirens were triggered on Maui on Tuesday. Maui wildfire becomes latest fodder for disaster conspiracy theorists Get Hawaiis latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You. It first emerged during the 2020-21 California wildfires. High resolution imagery from GOES-17 is showing smoke associated with a fire in Maui's central valley this afternoon. Communications networks crippled by flames, power outages and fire-spewing winds. YouTube Hawaii Area of detail Lahaina MAUI Approximate area of fires Wednesday Launiupoko One mile Source: Satellite data from Landsat Satellite imagery of parts of Lahaina showed that the fires. As President Biden arrives to survey the damage with state and local officials, shock and grief are giving way to anger and questions about the governments preparation. Lahainaluna High School, Lahaina Intermediate, Princess Nahienaena Elementary and King Kamehameha III Elementary were closed Wednesday. If you have images of news happening on Maui, send them to [emailprotected]. More about Tim Arango, Jack Healy is a Phoenix-based national correspondent who focuses on the fast-changing politics and climate of the Southwest. But some community members are concerned by false rumors that signing up for that assistance gives the federal government the right to seize your land. "Times of crisis are always a heyday of disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy myths. The fire fed on large swaths of fallow, former sugar cane fields and dry brush, Hawaii officials told NPR. Another potential factor in the wildfires that has been mooted is modern agricultural practices, which campaigners say depletes organic content in soil that binds it together. Fire hoses almost ran dry. Updates: Waihe'e Brush Fire Burns 7 Acres, 100% Contained - Maui Now 2023 BBC. "This fire is still an active threat to our community and residents are urged to remain vigilant of changing conditions," Victorino said. "Wind is critical because we all blow on a fire to get it going," Maslin said. Maui Police Lt. Gregg Okamoto said at a news conference that as fire-related concerns have been growing, the island has been experiencing disruptions with people trying to call 911 to report emergencies. Meanwhile, several states in the Southwest have been regularly experiencing temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Zimbabwe election: Any hope for democratic change? Maui fire seemed under control. Then it exploded with lethal force It can also be traced back through a reverse image search and shows a controlled burn at an oil refinery in Ohio on Jan. 16, 2018. If individual people are to blame, then yes, it would be enough to hold that person accountable, and then such terrible things can't happen anymore.". A brush fire in West Maui has burned an estimated 1.875 square miles. (2.24.21) PC: Ty Fausett, Haik Brush Fire Burns 3.5 Acres, Now 100% Contained, Update: Brush fire burns 8 acres in Malaea, now, Fast-Moving Brush Fire in Puunn Burns 1,500, UPDATE: Kahoma Fire Burns 10 Acres in West Maui,, Wailuku Fire Burns 17 Acres, Now 100% Contained,, Pia fire burns 370 acres, 100% contained. A brush fire that erupted over fallow land Thursday morning in Maui caused thousands of people to be evacuated and temporarily disrupted the island's primary airport. Heavy smoke was visible from the Central Maui area and flames were seen by nearby residents earlier this afternoon. The fire was first reported at 3 p.m. in heavy brush located on the mauka . Bushfires are common throughout Australia. What Caused the Hawaii Fires? What We Know, What We Don't - Newsweek The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The higher the temperature the more likely it is that a fire will start or continue to burn. He soon saw embers falling. The cause of this fire is under investigation. He previously reported from Mexico City, Havana, Beirut and Baghdad. A brush fire was first spotted on Tuesday in an area near Lahaina Intermediate School. 12 a.m. HST A brush fire emits heavy smoke in Maui's Upcountry region, later growing to about 1,000 acres. Victoria Kim contributed reporting. While many wildfires are believed to be caused by humanseither inadvertently or notsome are caused naturally, such as by lightning strikes. "Conspiracy theories give it a kind of meaning. The Maui Humane Society was also evacuated. If youre ready for a relaxing glamping trip, here are the best portable hot tubs. Waihee brush fire. Brush and wildfires are not unheard of in Hawaii's leeward regions during the dry season. A brush fire in Waihee burned 7 acres by nightfall and was 50 percent contained as of 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Another 200-acre fire began mid-day on Friday near the Safeway off Ho'okele Street. The fires have so far impacted around 271 structures, with "widespread damage" to the historic resort town of Lahaina and the surrounding area. Theres barely enough resources at the Fire Department to do code enforcement, Ms. Pickett said. Eighty outdoor sirens are in Maui alone. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Gusty winds blowing at 20 mph hampered firefighting operations earlier in the day. Thousands of people who were evacuated from parts of central Maui on Thursday after a large fire broke out over parched land are returning to their homes following the blaze, which scorched 10,000 acres. Who has been YOUR Lioness of the tournament? HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports. So Maui is on fire. The firefighting operation includes ground crews and air assets. How did the Maui fires start? Human habitation may be partly to blame Mr. Andaya cited health reasons in announcing his departure. How did the Maui fire start? What we know about the cause of the Waihee brush fire. Maui's first reported fire likely caused by power lines, data shows Maui has about 60 to 70 firefighters working at any one time, and they are responsible for three islands. I hear, Emergency management bungled the response, alarms should have gone off, she said. It has eclipsed the toll from the Camp Fire,. and a large vault. Firefighters are expected to continue working throughout the day. They're made more likely when the weather is very hot and dry. Many residents have reported that strong winds knocked out communications systems hours before the fires arrived. The exact cause of the fires on Maui have not yet been determined. Lots of things can be done to make houses safer and lower the risk of damage from bushfires. Rough terrain and gusty trade winds are making it difficult to access the area, said MFD. Maui Wildfires: What We Know About Death Toll, Cause and Damages - The Powerful emergency sirens never made a sound. Much of Hawaii was under a red flag warning for fire risk when the wildfires broke out, with dangerous high wind conditions caused by Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 storm that was moving across. Fire officials on Maui warned that the winds can send embers up into the air and ignite areas far away. According to MFD, they have achieved. By Michael Corkery , Mike Baker and Shawn Hubler. He has worked in Iraq and Afghanistan and is a graduate of the University of Missouris journalism school. The decision not to use the system to warn of the wildfire threat on Aug. 8 has been questioned by some experts. Fire officials said winds blowing 20 mph and higher fanned flames across fallow fields. 1 in initial Cover2 2023 rankings, Vaipulu enters season as UHs most experienced player, Max Holloway set to headline UFC Singapore event, Hawaii soccers furious rally falls short, UH womens volleyball picked to first in Big West, Ask A Specialist: Peripheral Artery Disease, BBB Offers Tips on Avoiding Charitable Scams, Ask A Specialist National Immunization Awareness, Over Half A Million Dollars Raised at This Benefit, Dukes Ocean Fest Going to the Dogs SurFUR ComPETition, What to Expect at Fias Upcoming Blue Note Hawaii, Ukahuna Overlook to briefly close for nn nesting. The one medical clinic is almost entirely razed; a branch of First Hawaiian Bank is now mostly rubble except for a charred A.T.M. Firefighters continue battling West Maui brush fire Fire crews are battling three large bush fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui that have caused power outages, evacuations, extensive destruction and the deaths of at least 36 people. Courtesy of the County of Maui When were Maui residents warned about the fires? It was the firestorm that wildfire experts and residents on Maui had warned about for years a blaze fueled by hurricane winds . Astrid Prange de Oliveira contributed to this report. Read about our approach to external linking. Local evacuations first took place on Tuesday, followed by an announcement that the flames were "100% contained". But what causes them and can anything be done to prevent the fires? The fire was first reported at 3 p.m. in heavy brush located on the mauka side of the Kahekili Highway. In the future, the siren system is likely to become a standard feature of wildfire response in Hawaii. Hawaii wildfires: how did the deadly Maui fire start and what caused it The fire was first reported Tuesday morning in the area of Kauaula Valley near Lahaina. It was the firestorm that wildfire experts and residents on Maui had warned about for years a blaze fueled by hurricane winds roaring through untamed grasses and into a 13,000-person coastal town with few ways in or out. More about Damien Cave, A version of this article appears in print on. Maui fire crews are on the scene of a brush fire mauka of the Kahekili Highway in Waihee. The wildfires, now among the deadliest in US history, burned hundreds of acres in Hawaii and utterly decimated Lhain, the tourism heart of the island and the largest city in its west. hide caption. David Ige. The Lahaina Civic Center closed as an evacuation shelter on Wednesday morning. Why Hawaii Is Scrutinizing Hawaiian Electric in the Maui Fire Firefighting helicopters, which worked most of Thursday, will return to the site of the fire on Friday in hopes of fully quelling the burn. Early in August, an 80,000-acre wildfire spread across California and Nevadaand in late June a wildfire near Phoenix took hold of nearly 2,000 acres and led to the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents. Which portable hot tub is best for glamping? Scroll down for more images sent in by Maui Now readers. "We don't know what actually ignited the fires, but we were made aware in advance by the National Weather Service that we were in a red flag situation," Major General Kenneth Hara, adjutant general of the Hawaii National Guard, told reporters in a Wednesday briefing. He added: "The management that was relatively successful at preventing wildfires has ceased. Mr. Andaya resigned on Thursday, citing health reasons. He never heard police officers or firefighters on loudspeakers urging people to evacuate. She said Hawaiis wildfire risk has been growing after years of underinvestment in fire departments and fire prevention. About 80% of the town has been destroyed, according to officials. All these things theyre pieces. Max Whittaker for The New York Times. 'If I say jump, jump. If plastic is not an ideal container for beverages, should we be drinking water out of glass? The text reads, "This photo is circulating social media. Facebook By the following day, however, fast-moving flames had engulfed Maui's Lahaina town. But many fire officials in Australia warn that the scale and intensity of todays biggest fires require new expectations. Can anyone confirm? "The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house," said Jeff Giesea, Maui's fire assistant chief, in an update on Tuesday. 9,200 acres of land began burning on Thursday July 11th, now with only hot spots and flare ups needing attention. Seen earlier this morning by NOAA-20 VIIRS. Wailuku Fire Burns 17 Acres, Now 100% Contained, Results in - Maui Now According to the user, the conference aimed to turn Maui into an entire "smart island." Apparently, this beam was captured before the Hawaii fires. Maui County officials informed residents that morning that a small brush fire in Lahaina had been completely contained . The blaze swept through parts of nearby Maui Veterans Highway, leaving it charred. Nearly two weeks later, as President Biden arrives in Hawaii on Monday to tour the scene of the deadliest American wildfire in a century, the initial shock and grief are giving way to anger and questions about the governments planning and response, most significantly why communications around Lahaina failed so badly, and whether earlier, more aggressive evacuation measures could have prevented some of the deaths. Claim: Images show a directed energy weapon beam that caused the Maui fires, This image is being shared on social media since the wildfires in Hawaii killed many and caused high-level destruction. At a news conference on Friday, Mr. Bissen said: I think we could always do more. Officials have primarily laid the blame for the speed at which the fires spread on Hurricane Dora, which passed the Hawaiian archipelago at a safe distance earlier in the week, but brought winds of up to 81 miles an hour to the islands. We LGBs Need to Divorce the TQI+s, Convicting Trump 'Not Going to Be Difficult' After Meadows News: Kirschner, Lake Mead's Water Level Rises as Hilary Brings Heavy Rainfall, Trump Co-Defendants Get Conditions for Staying Out of Jail, How Donald Trump's Saving Himself From Prison, Three Named Storms Emerge in Atlantic in 24 Hours. Officials and volunteers moved animals in crates and kennels to shelter. In the days after the deadly fire, displaced people displaced were able to collect food and other supplies from distribution sites like this one in Olowalu, on Maui. But now it's demolished, so I guess they have to rebuild it.". The Maui Emergency Management Agency remains partially activated. But how did the fires start? Some residents received text message alerts about an emergency, but others did not. They're made more likely when the weather is very hot and dry. But some plaintiffs' lawyers and investors have already begun to blame Hawaiian. The wider Honoapiilani Highway was impassable because of downed live power lines. We still need volunteers to put out hot spots with shovels, trucks, chainsaws, gloves, and fire extinguishers in Kula. David Emery Published Aug 10, 2023 Image Via Twitter Claim: The August 2023 wildfires that devastated parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui were caused by a "direct energy weapon." Rating: Unfounded. Half of all addresses in the contiguous United States face some wildfire risk, meaning that tens of millions of lives may be vulnerable to some of the same failures that engulfed Lahaina: A lack of early evacuations and unpracticed escape plans. LAHAINA, Hawai'i (KHON2 ) Maui Fire Department is continuing to battle a brush fire that was reported at 11:40 a.m. in the Kauaula Valley area of West Maui. How Pakistan's blasphemy laws stir vigilante violence, 'Beyond Fame' The art of the stars at Dsseldorf show, Tracking Qatargate's 'Turkish businessman', Tropical Storm Hilary drenches Mexico, southern California. What we know about the cause of the Maui wildfires Though officials reported a few hours later that it was contained, strong winds from Hurricane Dora rekindled. Maui Fire Updates 2023 - The latest, How to Help, How to Get Help Only a few buildings are still standing: a church; a red-roofed home on Front Street that overlooks the ocean; a McDonalds that was damaged but not destroyed. Thousands of residents are. And some said that the smoke was so thick and dark that they could not figure out which direction to flee. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is working to sign up Maui residents impacted by the wildfires for disaster assistance. At this time, there are no injuries and the source of the fire is still under investigation, according to MPD. Meet at Kula Marketplace or Kula Lodge (Call Kyle for timing at (808) 264-3005.) Although Maui Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Images and videos showing the wreckage on the Hawaiian island are spreading on social media,but not all are accurate. It was 40% contained on Wednesday morning, according to the Maui County Fire Department. It shows a light beam connecting the ground and sky, with smoke at the bottom. Maui Fire Services Chief Rylan Yatsushiro said crews will continue working to contain the fire with dozers cutting a break around the perimeter. Hawaii wildfire updates: 36 dead and over 270 structures damaged The state of Hawaiis own guide for how people should respond to hurricanes, tsunamis and other disasters does not include any direction on what to do in a wildfire. For most of southern Australia, the danger period is summer and autumn. The National Weather Service did issue a number of warnings for strong winds and dry weather that can help fuel wildfires. In 2018, Maui suffered a massive brush fire on the same side of the island, primarily on the slopes . Crews will continue mop up operations today. Speaking to reporters on Thursday night, fire chief Bradford Ventura said that the flames - propelled by strong winds - had moved so fast that notifying residents became "nearly impossible". Phone linesincluding access to 911and water supplies have also been affected. Once it turned into a firestorm, it was just too late, he said. They can start from human activity - either accidently or deliberately - or can start by natural causes like lightning. "Not only is the vegetation very dry but the ground is very dry," Mark Maslin, professor of earth system science at University College London, told Newsweek. Cellphone sites were burned and lost power, leaving people unable to communicate or receive emergency alerts. "This is an unprecedented disaster as an indirect result of Hurricane Dora passing just south of our islands," Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke said on Tuesday as she announced an emergency proclamation. Lahaina Brush Fire, evacuations and closures underway - KHON2 Firefighters are expected to continue working throughout the day. "There were fires in every corner". The fire in Makawao was the first of several reported on Maui last week, and this is the . Biden Prepares to Visit Maui - The New York Times Unprecedented wildfires burning on the Hawaiian island of Maui have displaced thousands of residents, destroyed parts of a centuries-old town, and killed at least 53 people. Hawaiis attorney general has ordered an outside investigation into the response by county and state officials; Maui Countys mayor, Richard T. Bissen Jr., has faced persistent questions from residents and the news media about the countys response; and Mauis emergency management director resigned last week. ", The climate professor cited the example of Greece, where "they were managing the land properly when lots of people worked on the land, but now they're not because everybody has moved to the city." Nobody could communicate with anybody on any level, Mr. McKelvey, a Democrat, said. How did the Maui fire start? A visual guide to the causes - USA TODAY A Maui County firefighter after the Upcountry fire in Kula this month. Also by closing windows and sealing gaps in a house, sparks and burning material can be prevented from getting inside. The user who claimed the still image of the Ohio refinery was proof of a DEW attack in Maui also tried to usethis video on Xas evidence using the exact text as the previous post. Brush fires were already burning on Maui and the island of Hawaii on Aug. 8. Maslin noted that another problem facing Hawaii was that "all the water that would have been in that hurricane just completely missed themand so it's that sort of Catch 22 which is you don't want the hurricane, but you wouldn't have minded the edges basically dousing Hawaii in some water.". Which is the healthier option: plastic or glass? Massive Maui Fires Almost Contained - Maalaea Town - Maui Hawaii Soon after flames were reported on Maui on the morning of 8 August, officials ordered an evacuation order of an area near a school to the east of Lahaina. Conclusion: All the images and videos presented as evidence that DEW attacks caused the August wildfires in Mauiare false. Firefighters are struggling to contain the latest bushfires in Australia. The fire that struck the historic town of Lahaina on the western side of Maui is now the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century. ET It could take months for officials to identify what caused the fire in Maui last week. She said that there were not enough access roads for firefighters or evacuation routes in subdivisions, and that landowners were not forced to manage the invasive grasses that become tinder for fires. But this is not the first time this conspiracy theory has been spread. Both images do not show DEW attacks, nor are they connected to the recent wildfires in Maui in any form. A brush fire in West Maui has burned an estimated 1.875 square miles. By then, flames had already engulfed parts of Lahaina, forcing some residents to flee into the sea. Perhaps most important, according to many fire officials, the country has leaned more heavily on education, involving people in volunteer fire and emergency response teams so that they will be more involved when disaster strikes. ", For those in 4th grade and belowcolonial greed because in addition to dry vegetation, high wind, and low humility caused by the climate crisisthe gross mismanagement of land by greedy developers and land speculators destroyed our natural landscape and buffers and enabled the, Maslin said that while this was a "compounding factor" of the wildfires, "it's a balancing act, because you can have modern agricultural systems [in] which you can try to mitigate against fire.