Hawaii: growing threat of ‘devastating’ fires as island landscape dries and warms

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Acres of abandoned farmland that line the picturesque coastal communities played perfect host to invasive grasses that are primed to burn, creating tinderbox conditions as the island’s landscapes dried and warmed.

As crews continue to try to contain the flames and assess the devastating toll the fires have taken on lives and livelihoods, experts are expecting a long recovery – and warning of a fiery future.

“That is one of the devastating parts here – we knew this could happen,” said Andrea Barretto, the co-executive director of the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, a nonprofit dedicated to prevention and recovery.

All their fire engines – just over a dozen with two ladder trucks – are only equipped for navigating city roads, limiting the ability to attack blazes before they reach communities.

Records show that the sirens that were intended to warn the residents of the incoming inferno never sounded, according to Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Adam Weintraub.

“When we have fire like that, it doesn’t just threaten communities and infrastructure and natural resources,” Barretto said, sharing concerns that the rain to come will send soil down the slopes that will smother coral reefs.

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