The Maui Fire Department said Tuesday that a series of wildfires that started on the island during last August’s storm, including one that killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina and made it the deadliest wildfire in the United States, The agency plans to release a report detailing the agency’s response to these issues. For over a century.
The announcement came a day before Hawaii’s attorney general is expected to announce the first phase of another comprehensive investigation into events before, during and after the Aug. 8 fire.
The report came as a wind-fueled fire swept through Maui’s historic town of Lahaina, destroying nearly 3,000 buildings and causing estimated damages of more than $5.5 billion, state officials said. It could help authorities understand exactly what happened.
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The Western Fire Chiefs Association prepared an after-action report for the Maui Fire Department. After-action reports are frequently used by military organizations, emergency response agencies, government agencies, and even businesses to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s response to an emergency.
A similar after-action report was released by the Maui Police Department in February. It includes 32 recommendations to improve law enforcement’s response to future tragedies, including ensuring the department obtains better equipment and adding premium equipment to the island’s communications center during emergencies. This includes having staff on-site permanently.
Hawaiian Electric has confirmed that one of its power lines fell and caused a fire in Lahaina on the morning of August 8, but the utility said the morning fire was the cause of the blaze that engulfed the town later that day. He denies that it happened. But dozens of lawsuits filed by survivors and victims’ families say otherwise, holding entities such as Hawaiian Electric, the County of Maui, and large property owners responsible for damages caused by the inferno. argues that it should.
Clouds hang over a house destroyed by a wildfire in Kula, Hawaii, on August 15, 2023. The Maui Fire Department is scheduled to release a report on April 16, 2024, detailing the agency’s response to a series of devastating wildfires. The island during the storm last August. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Many of the factors that caused the disaster are already known. Strong winds from the hurricane, which passed far offshore, downed power lines, blown off parts of roofs and left debris blocking roads across Lahaina. The same wind then rained down embers and set the town center ablaze.
The majority of the county’s firefighters were already fighting other wildfires elsewhere on the island, and high winds knocked out electricity to water pumps normally used to load fire tanks. , operations were sometimes hampered by severe losses in water pressure. and a reservoir. County officials acknowledged that a lack of backup power for critical pumps made it significantly harder for crews to fight the upcountry fires.
A small fire department was tasked with responding to the outbreak in Lahaina. Its crews took a break for lunch after suppressing the morning fire and declaring it extinguished. By the time they returned, the blaze had started in the same area and was rapidly moving into the main sector. The Lahaina fire burned at such high temperatures that it melted thousands of water pipes, so it is unlikely that pump backup power had a significant impact.
Mobile phone and internet service was also down in the area, making it difficult for some people to call for help or receive information about the spread of the fire, including evacuation announcements. And emergency officials did not utilize Hawaii’s extensive emergency siren network to warn Lahaina residents.
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High winds made it difficult at times for first responders to communicate by radio, and 911 operators and emergency dispatchers were overwhelmed with hundreds of calls.
Police and electrical workers tried to move people away from roads that were partially or completely blocked by downed power lines. Meanwhile, people trying to escape the burning area crowded the few main streets leading into and out of town.
Due to traffic congestion, some people were trapped inside their cars when the fire broke out. People near the sea jumped into the rough sea to escape the flames.
