Hawaii officials have released their third and final report on Maui’s deadly Lahaina Fire in 2023, focusing on how each of Hawaii’s counties can prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
The Fire Safety Research Institute‘s “Lahaina Fire Forward-Looking Report” is phase three of a three-part investigation into the catastrophic wildfire. The group previously released the Lahaina Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report, which presents a chronology of the fire’s events, and the Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report, which looked into the systemic causes and response to the fire.
“It is vital to reiterate, as demonstrated throughout this report, that no single factor is, or set of factors are, directly responsible for the tragic outcome,” the Phase Three report said. “The preconditions for these fires have been in the making for decades, stemming from the changing landscape of Maui Nui, more frequent extreme weather events, and the increased frequency of vegetation-fueled fires. It is important to note these same conditions exist across the State of Hawaii, in numerous other locations throughout the United States, and around the globe.”
The report identified 10 priorities for enhancing wildfire readiness throughout the state, the top two of which focused on establishing an Office of the State Fire Marshal and creating an action plan for future wildfire events through working with the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization. The eight remaining priorities are focused on how the State Fire Marshal can implement said action plan, including:
- Wildfire Education Programming
- Communication Systems
- Utilities Risk Reduction & Planning
- Fire Weather
- Evacuation
- Codes & Standards
- Wildfire Response Preparedness
- Vegetation & Land Management
The report also breaks down how wildfire readiness can be enhanced at the county level, specifically through risk assessment and data-driven investment. The priorities were reviewed by each county fire chief, according to the researchers.
“This streamlined approach provides a clear roadmap for the counties to initiate progress and take the critical first steps necessary to establish a solid foundation that supports future meaningful improvements,” the researchers said.
Click here to read the full report.
I am glad to see this report list includes: communications, fire weather conditions and evacuation planning. Hopefully, improvements will be made.
In 1992 Hurricane Andrew hit Florida and 65 people were killed even though 26,000 homes were destroyed. Fortunately, the people of Florida had 7 days to prepare or evacuate.
In Lahaina, the conditions were extremely dry with 80mph winds before dawn. The fire broke out at 6:30am, evacuation orders were giving, local Firefighters thought they had contained the fire by 9:00am but by 3:30pm extreme winds re-started the fire and cut off local roads for evacuation. The local tsunami siren warning system failed due to some faulty equipment and confusion by tsunami officials to deploy the sirens in a fire situation. Cell service and communications systems failed due to lack of power caused by the fire. By 5:45pm the fire had reached the shoreline and 2,200 buildings were destroyed and 102 people were killed in a bit over 2 hours.
In a wildfire situation with extreme winds, you often have only or minutes or hours to prepare and evacuate. Anyone living in a forest-urban environment where dry conditions and high winds are possible or predicted need to create defensible space and have an evacuation plan; even Hawaii were fire conditions have increased four fold in the past few decades.
Wow! I worked for this Research Institute in Columbia, MD 30 years ago! Love the report so far, but will need to find the time to read all 62 pages.