What a weak article. The real causes:
1. The pineapple plantation companies left Maui.
2. The pineapple fields were no longer irrigated and fell into ruin.
3. Non-native, highly flammable invasive grasses took over the fields.
4. Nobody was responsible for controlling the explosive growth of the grasses.
5. The tall, combustible grasses grew right up to the edge of Lahaina.
6. The government did not demand fuel load reduction programs.
7. The government KNEW of the fire hazard posed by the grasses and did nothing.
8. The government run warning system that falsely alarmed incoming Russian nuclear attack failed to go off.
I’ve read that the fire caused residential water lines to leak, causing a reduction of water pressure to fire hydrants.
Water shutoff values could be be spring-loaded to close and only held open by plastic that would melt in a fire.
Swimming pools could be hooked up to irrigation systems and the fire department could could turn pumps on.
What a weak article. The real causes:
1. The pineapple plantation companies left Maui.
2. The pineapple fields were no longer irrigated and fell into ruin.
3. Non-native, highly flammable invasive grasses took over the fields.
4. Nobody was responsible for controlling the explosive growth of the grasses.
5. The tall, combustible grasses grew right up to the edge of Lahaina.
6. The government did not demand fuel load reduction programs.
7. The government KNEW of the fire hazard posed by the grasses and did nothing.
8. The government run warning system that falsely alarmed incoming Russian nuclear attack failed to go off.
Pretty much lines up with what the article says, government was the real problem.
To be fair, it was North Korean...
You would think that people spending so much time concerned about global warming would spend a little time concerned about non-native plants that can cause huge problems growing in the wrong place.
Right now they’re blaming the power company and climate change. That’s their story and they’ll stick to it.
What a weak article. The real causes:
1. The pineapple plantation companies left Maui.
2. The pineapple fields were no longer irrigated and fell into ruin.
3. Non-native, highly flammable invasive grasses took over the fields.
4. Nobody was responsible for controlling the explosive growth of the grasses.
5. The tall, combustible grasses grew right up to the edge of Lahaina.
6. The government did not demand fuel load reduction programs.
7. The government KNEW of the fire hazard posed by the grasses and did nothing.
8. The government run warning system that falsely alarmed incoming Russian nuclear attack failed to go off.
Pretty good list but I would change 6 to say the government blocked fuel load reduction problems in the name of “environmentalism”. We see this all over the left coast. It sounds like a Canadian company purchased much of the farmland there and its just sitting - maybe Hawaii should think about requiring them to maintain the land?
However, unlike many here and in conservative media (seemingly) I am not sure about the conspiracy ideas being floated for the fire. When you have that kind of windspeed it is inevitable that you will have tree tops and large branches flying out of trees. When they make contact with two power lines you create a burning branch and/or arc severing of the transmission lines. In the conditions you accurately describe that will result in a fire.
The height of the dry grasses and unkempt overgrown fields means you will get one helluva fire and spot fires in front of the fire front. It’s an ugly scene.
What did the article mean by this?
“...nor, perhaps most importantly, did it cause the government to not prepare to fight such fires with the huge fuel buildup it allowed”
What Russian nuclear attack?
This is a brilliant description of the bureaucratic response of all governments (local-to-federal-to-planetary) to any potential type of “potential” disaster...
The “climate-change” card is equivalent to the “race” card...
Awesomely summarized.
Brilliant synopsis. But #6? What is the benefit and meaning of “fuel load reduction”?
Oops. #37! lol
your whole list hinges on the root cause, why did pineapple plantation companies leave maui?
taxes drove them elsewhere? worker issues? fields no longer good to grow them for some reason?