Washington Army National Guard

Maui's deadly wildfires burn through Lahaina – it's a reminder of the growing risk to communities that once seemed safe

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Others were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after going into the ocean to escape the flames.

Key Points:

Others were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after going into the ocean to escape the flames.
Fires were still burning on Aug. 10, both in Maui’s tourist-filled west coast and farther inland, as well as on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Dry grasses and strong winds, influenced by Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, heightened the fire risk.
That number – people directly exposed to wildfires – more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, my team’s recent research shows.
Instead, three-quarters of this trend was driven by intense fires growing out of control and encroaching on existing communities.

Recent research on California’s fires found that almost all of the increase in that state’s burned area in recent decades was due to anthropogenic climate change – meaning climate change caused by human activities.
Our new research looked beyond just the area burned and asked: Where were people exposed to wildfires, and why?

If you picture wildfire photos taken from a plane, fires generally burn in patches rather than as a wall of flame.
Three-quarters of the 125% increase in exposure was due to fires increasingly encroaching on existing communities.
In California, the state with the most people exposed to fires, several wildfire catastrophes hit communities that had existed long before 2000.

How much these fires grow and how intense they become depends largely on warming trends.
But communities will also have to adapt to more wildfires.
Developing community-level wildfire response plans, reducing human ignitions of wildfires and improving zoning and building codes can help prevent fires from becoming destructive.

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 10, 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued several people from waters off Lahaina who were trying to escape the smoke and flames.

Key Points:

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued several people from waters off Lahaina who were trying to escape the smoke and flames.
Fires have become an increasing risk in many areas of the U.S. that people once considered safe.
That number – people directly exposed to wildfires – more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, my team’s recent research shows.
Instead, three-quarters of this trend was driven by intense fires growing out of control and encroaching on existing communities.

Recent research on California’s fires found that almost all of the increase in that state’s burned area in recent decades was due to anthropogenic climate change – meaning climate change caused by human activities.
Our new research looked beyond just the area burned and asked: Where were people exposed to wildfires, and why?

If you picture wildfire photos taken from a plane, fires generally burn in patches rather than as a wall of flame.
Three-quarters of the 125% increase in exposure was due to fires increasingly encroaching on existing communities.
In California, the state with the most people exposed to fires, several wildfire catastrophes hit communities that had existed long before 2000.

How much these fires grow and how intense they become depends largely on warming trends.
But communities will also have to adapt to more wildfires.
Developing community-level wildfire response plans, reducing human ignitions of wildfires and improving zoning and building codes can help prevent fires from becoming destructive.

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued several people from waters off Lahaina who were trying to escape the smoke and flames.

Key Points:

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued several people from waters off Lahaina who were trying to escape the smoke and flames.
Fires have become an increasing risk in many areas of the U.S. that people once considered safe.
That number – people directly exposed to wildfires – more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, my team’s recent research shows.
Instead, three-quarters of this trend was driven by intense fires growing out of control and encroaching on existing communities.

Recent research on California’s fires found that almost all of the increase in that state’s burned area in recent decades was due to anthropogenic climate change – meaning climate change caused by human activities.
Our new research looked beyond just the area burned and asked: Where were people exposed to wildfires, and why?

If you picture wildfire photos taken from a plane, fires generally burn in patches rather than as a wall of flame.
Three-quarters of the 125% increase in exposure was due to fires increasingly encroaching on existing communities.
In California, the state with the most people exposed to fires, several wildfire catastrophes hit communities that had existed long before 2000.

How much these fires grow and how intense they become depends largely on warming trends.
But communities will also have to adapt to more wildfires.
Developing community-level wildfire response plans, reducing human ignitions of wildfires and improving zoning and building codes can help prevent fires from becoming destructive.

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued several people from the waters off Lahaina who were trying to escape the smoke and flames.

Key Points:

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued several people from the waters off Lahaina who were trying to escape the smoke and flames.
Fires have become an increasing risk in many areas of the U.S. that people once considered safe.
That number – people directly exposed to wildfires – more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, my team’s recent research shows.
Instead, three-quarters of this trend was driven by intense fires growing out of control and encroaching on existing communities.

Recent research on California’s fires found that almost all of the increase in that state’s burned area in recent decades was due to anthropogenic climate change – meaning climate change caused by human activities.
Our new research looked beyond just the area burned and asked: Where were people exposed to wildfires, and why?

If you picture wildfire photos taken from a plane, fires generally burn in patches rather than as a wall of flame.
Three-quarters of the 125% increase in exposure was due to fires increasingly encroaching on existing communities.
In California, the state with the most people exposed to fires, several wildfire catastrophes hit communities that had existed long before 2000.

Studies have shown that even in conservative scenarios, the amount of area that burns in Western wildfires is projected to grow in the next few decades.
Communities will have to both adapt to more wildfires and take steps to mitigate the impact.