Why did cops block the main road out of the fire zone, preventing people from leaving?
> Why did cops block the main road out of the fire zone, preventing people from leaving?
I believe that you are probably referring to the main road towards the north.
i have noted the following (note: which probably should be independently checked before repeating):
one major police roadblock appears to have been at 1488 front street. this is the site of the former chart house restaurant, built in 1964, later known as the five palms restaurant, which was apparently closed in 2015 and thereafter unoccupied. it was totally destroyed in the lahaina fire. it is at the intersection of front street and Honoapilani Highway (state route 30), which runs north towards Kaanapali from that point.
according to a recent hawaii real estate interview with the local resident named “Fish,” a policeman who manned the roadblock there claimed to be following orders.
apparently after the fire there remained a line of burned out civilian vehicles on front street leading to the roadblock from the south. the line of burned out civilian vehicles extended south on front street all the way to downtown lahaina (eg, all the way to fleetwood’s restaurant).
what is not clear to me is who gave the order, when the order was rescinded, and if the order was not rescinded, why there is not a police car still at the roadblock (by now it would have been burned along with the line of civilian vehicles on front street).
a possible explanation is that a mid-level or high-level police order was given the roadblock police from a central police office or a police commander somewhere nearby the intersection but not at the physical intersection itself.
I posit that
1. the roadblock command issuing officer was not physically present at the roadblock during the fire.
2. the roadblock command issuing officer’s intention was to keep the road north of lahaina back to the island isthumus (state route 3400 to kanului) clear so that emergency vehicles could use the road unimpeded by vehicles with victims which would have required tow trucks
3. the roadblock command issuing officer was not familiar with the local geography.
4. at some point in time, the roadblock officer withdrew from the scene for reasons not currently established, leaving many, most, or all of the civilian vehicles blocked and subsequently damaged by the fire.
(i would also be interested to learn more information about this.)