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2023 Hawaii wildfires
Deadly wildfires on Maui and Hawaiʻi, U.S. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In early August 2023, a series of wildfires broke out in the U.S. state of Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. The wind-driven fires prompted evacuations and caused widespread damage, killing at least 102 people and leaving two persons missing in the town of Lahaina on Maui's northwest coast. The proliferation of the wildfires was attributed to dry, gusty conditions created by a strong high-pressure area north of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the south.[10]
2023 Hawaii wildfires | |
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Top: Lāhainā burning as seen from the ocean and harbor Middle: Burned cars and buildings Bottom: FEMA officials perform searches and Governor Josh Green reviews damage | |
Date(s) | August 8–16, 2023 |
Location | Hawaii, United States |
Statistics | |
Total fires | 4 |
Total area | 17,000+ acres (6,880+ ha)[1] |
Impacts | |
Deaths | 102+[2] |
Non-fatal injuries | 67+[3] |
Missing people | 2[4] |
Structures destroyed | 2,207[5] |
Damage | $5.5 billion[6] |
Ignition | |
Cause | |
Map | |
![]() Centroids of fires detected by spaceborne infrared imaging on August 8–10. Some parts are perimeters. (map data) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
An emergency declaration was signed on August 8, authorizing several actions, including activation of the Hawaii National Guard, appropriate actions by the director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the Administrator of Emergency Management, and the expenditure of state general revenue funds for relief of conditions created by the fires.[11] By August 9, the state government of Hawaii issued a state of emergency for the entirety of the state.[10] On August 10, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a federal major disaster declaration.[12]
For the Lahaina fire alone, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated that over 2,200 buildings had been destroyed,[5][13][14] overwhelmingly residential[15][16] and including many historic landmarks in Lahaina.[17][18] The damage caused by the fire has been estimated at nearly $6 billion.[5][19] In September 2023, the United States Department of Commerce published the official damage total of the wildfires as $5.5 billion (2023 USD).[6]
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