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The devastation is severe in the city of Lahaina, Hawaii, after this week’s heavy fires.
1 / 2Photo: Rick Bowmer/AP/TT
The flames approached their home on the Hawaiian island of Maui at breakneck speed – but no warning sirens wailed. Hawaii residents who were forced to flee the inferno at the last minute are wondering why the island group’s famous alarm system didn’t work.
About 400 sirens are deployed around Hawaii to warn of natural disasters. The state describes the warning system as the world’s largest of its kind. But the alarm doesn’t seem to have worked during the wildfires that have so far killed more than 50 people on Maui, the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Thousands of people have been evacuated and the historic town of Lahaina has largely burned down.
Survivors from Lahaina say in interviews with the AP news agency that they did not hear any sirens and realized the danger only when they saw the flames and heard explosions.
No sirens
When the warning sirens were not triggered, the local authorities are said to have sent out warning messages via mobile phones, television and radio stations. But it’s unclear if they were sent before power outages and a blacked-out cellphone network shielded Lahaina from the outside world.
The risk of forest fires in the area around Lahaina is well known. West Maui has many residents who don’t speak English and lack access to cars — factors that could complicate rescue efforts, according to authorities.
When the fire was discovered early Tuesday, an area on the eastern edge of Lahaina was evacuated. But after a couple of hours, the authorities went out on Facebook and announced that the fire was completely under control, writes the New York Times.
Lack of firefighters
Only in the afternoon as the fire rapidly approached Lahaina, bolstered by powerful winds, were more evacuations ordered. But by then, many residents were already fighting fire and thick smoke. Many of them never received any warning messages, according to the New York Times.
In addition, the extinguishing may have been hindered by a lack of personnel, says a representative of the fire department union in Hawaii. 65 firefighters are responsible for fighting fires on three islands. The fire department also does not have any cars that are suitable for off-road driving, which must have made the work more difficult.
At a news conference Thursday night, Fire Chief Bradford Ventura said the fire was moving so quickly that it was “close to impossible” to send out evacuation orders in time.
Panicked
Claire Kent, 26, who works on a tourist boat in Lahaina, told the New York Times that she began to panic at 4:30 a.m. when she saw large clouds of black smoke and heard an explosion.
A neighbor said that three gas stations nearby had caught fire. As Claire Kent and several of her friends tried to drive out of town, she saw people fleeing on foot, some of them carrying children. She still hadn’t received any warnings to seek shelter, except from a man cycling along the road shouting “you have to get out of here”.
– It was the closest thing to a warning I got, Claire Kent told the New York Times, safe in a friend’s house four miles from Lahaina.
– There were no police officers with megaphones telling people to evacuate.
FACTS The fires in Hawaii – day by day
Tuesday:
The fire appears to have started in forested areas on Tuesday night and then quickly spread to populated areas. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The authorities had warned that strong winds and dry weather in Hawaii increase the risk of forest fires.
Residents flee onto the highways. Some of the roads are covered in burning debris. The US Coast Guard rescues 14 people, including two children, who jumped into the sea to escape the flames.
Wednesday:
Over 11,000 people are flown out of Maui. At least six people have died in the fires.
Lahaina, the main resort on Maui, is reported, with a few exceptions, to have burned down. The city has around 12,000 permanent residents and is an important hub for the tourism industry. Lahaina also has great historical value with its many 19th century buildings, many of which were destroyed in the fires.
Thursday:
The fires are still not under control, and the fire is spreading. This is due in part to strong winds from Hurricane Dora which is blowing past about 140 miles southwest of Hawaii.
The death toll rises to over 50. Around 1,000 people are missing, according to the British BBC. The wildfires are considered to be the deadliest in the United States since 2018 in California, when at least 85 people died and the town of Paradise was devastated.
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