![]() ![]() HONOLULU: Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities late Tuesday as firefighters struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines. These conditions were expected through Tuesday, decreasing throughout the day Wednesday and into Thursday. The weather service had in effect a high wind warning and red flag warnings for dangerous fire weather, Powell said. The island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located, also was dealing with power outages, downed power lines and traffic problems, said Adam Weintraub, communication director for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. When a fire is followed by heavy rainfall, the rain can carry loose soil into the ocean, where it can smother coral reefs.Ī major fire on the Big Island in 2021 burned homes and forced thousands to evacuate. This means great environmental damage can occur when fires erupt. They tend to break out in large grasslands on the dry sides of the islands and are generally much smaller than mainland fires.įires were rare in Hawaii and on other tropical islands before humans arrived, and native ecosystems evolved without them. As of Tuesday, the roof of one house caught on fire, he said.įires in Hawaii are unlike many of those burning in the U.S. "We're trying to protect homes in the community," Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said of evacuating about 400 homes in four communities in the northern part of the island. About 80 people were evacuated from 40 homes, he said. In the Kula area of Maui, at least two homes were destroyed in a fire that engulfed about 1,100 acres (4.5 square kilometres), Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said. "It's kind of because of Hurricane Dora, but it's not a direct result," he said, calling the fires a "peripheral result" of the hurricane's winds. The dryness and the gusts "make a dangerous fire situation so that fires that do exist can spread out of control very rapidly," he said. Hawaii is sandwiched between high-pressure to the north and a low-pressure system associated with Dora, said Jeff Powell, a meteorologist in Honolulu. Hurricane Dora was complicating matters for firefighters in an already dry season. "The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house," Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said. Winds were recorded at 129 kph in inland Maui and one fire that was believed to be contained earlier Tuesday flared up hours later with the big winds, she added. "It's definitely one of the more challenging days for our island given that it's multiple fires, multiple evacuations in the different district areas," Martin said. It wasn't immediately known how many buildings had burned, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview late Tuesday.īecause of the wind gusts, helicopters weren't able to dump water on the fires from the sky, or gauge more precise fire sizes, and firefighters were encountering roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as they worked the inland fires, Martin said.Ībout 13,000 customers in Maui were without power, Hawaiian Electric reported Tuesday night. Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. ![]()
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