Why was the Maui wildfire so devastating? Scientists have new insights thanks to computer models of the blaze

[useapen]

Four months ago, a series of wildfires devastated the Hawaiian island of
Maui, killing at least 100 people and destroying an estimated 3,000 homes
and apartments.

Now, the San Francisco Chronicle reports the National Weather Service
(NWS) could have issued more accurate warnings for high winds that fanned
the flames, according to experts who studied computer models of the August
blaze.

While meteorologists initially reported that high winds from Hurricane
Dora drove the flames, new computer models show that a downslope windstorm
caused by accelerating trade winds may have caused the fire to spiral out
of control, the Chronicle reports. Downslope windstorms have also caused
some of California’s most devastating fires.

Steven Businger, chair of the department of atmospheric sciences at the
University of Hawaii, told the Chronicle the NWS in Hawai’i could have
warned residents about specific locations of concern leading up to the
windstorm. That information was available at the time thanks to weather
models, according to the Chronicle.

The Chronicle reports the NWS instead issued a broad warning for the
entire island.

“We have to learn how to use [meteorology], with the context of knowing
about the fuels and the urban risk, to warn people,” Cliff Mass, a
professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington, told
the Chronicle.

“It’s completely preventable,” Mr Mass continued.

The Independent reached out to the NWS for comment.

The Maui wildfires marked the deadliest US blaze in more than 100 years —
and ever since, scientists have been trying to piece together what caused
the disaster. One component was the windstorm hitting the islands in early
August, bringing the high gusts Mr Businger said the NWS should have
issued more precise warnings about.

Another factor may have been overgrown gully experts that was not properly
managed by the Hawaiian Electric Company, the Associated Press reported in
September. The company is facing several lawsuits that claim they acted
negligently leading up to the fires, such as by failing to initially cut
electricity amid high-wind warnings and failing to clear growth near power
lines.

The company has admitted that downed power lines caused the initial blaze
but denied responsibility for the flare-ups that devastated the island.
Regarding the overgrown gully, the company told the AP they are allowed to
“remove anything that interferes with our lines and could potentially
cause an outage” but they cannot “go on to private property to perform
landscaping or grass-mowing.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/maui-wildfires-high-
winds-national-weather-service-b2470092.html