Hawaii wildfires burn Maui to the ground, 6 dead, over 270 structures damaged

It’s known to be the land to go to for tropical beaches. However, on Thursday (10 August), the Hawaiian town of Lahaina resembled Baghdad during the war. The town, from above, looks incinerated; one can only see charred palm trees; homes have been reduced to ashes, and streets are deserted.

The devastation is owing the what experts are now calling one the deadliest wildfire to strike Hawaii – they have already claimed 36 lives and forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. The Maui wildfire, which is still active according to officials, has already guzzled over 150,000 gallons of water.

But what has caused the blaze to be so deadly? While a dangerous mix of high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation is to blame, experts also say that climate change is increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather events like what’s playing out on the island of Maui.