Hawaii: growing threat of ‘devastating’ fires as island landscape dries and warms

Severe blazes, once a rarity in Hawaii, are increasing in strength and scale, complicating rescue efforts for the small local fire crews

Long before fast-moving flames descended on the historic town of Lahaina, the growing threats of catastrophic fire in western Maui were clear.

Acres of abandoned farmland that line the picturesque coastal communities played perfect host to invasive grasses that are primed to burn, creating tinderbox conditions as the island's landscapes dried and warmed.