Hearts go out to Maui and the Big Island

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PipeIT

Lifer
Nov 14, 2020
5,133
30,410
Hawaii
I never pay attention to news, all I heard yesterday was the Mrs., talking about big fires on what we call on Maui the West Side.

Maui has had a past history of wild fires here and there, which is certainly a given, considering there are many extremely dry places on the island.

We live on the South Side, so nothing ever came our way, it’s life as usual around here. Holy Crap, it is certainly not life as usual on Maui today.

We could see a big plume cloud like smoke in the air, and the sky looking quite reddish orange as the sun set, and the smell of smoke in the air.

There’s still a smell of smoke here in the air on the South Side today.

I have a daughter and her husband that live on the West Side, they’re ok, but I can’t imagine living there, what they are now going to see, and how difficult it might make life for them. The sad thing for them, they have their house up for sale. They bought a house in North Carolina, and they are moving from Maui for good. I hope they can still get their place sold, in the wake of such tragedy.

wow wow wow 😲
 
Jun 23, 2019
1,936
13,232
Caught a thread on X , that showed Lahaina , all of it, in flames. This is crazy , this is sad.

Wildfires are no joke, hopefully they get it under control ASAP.

On a lighter note, haven't actually come across anyone who's referred to the Artist Formerly Known as Twitter as X yet - gave me a chuckle.
 
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PipeIT

Lifer
Nov 14, 2020
5,133
30,410
Hawaii
5:25pm here, looking towards the West Side, quite smoky/hazy looking outside.

Now the smoky smell has turned to a burnt/charred smell in the air too. :(

Looks like a war zone, and bombs hit from pics I’ve seen, unbelievable, wow.
 

David D. Davidson

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 19, 2023
200
776
Canada
I thought this was a post about the new legislation regarding pipe tobacco sales and shipping into Hawaii. That’s horrible. I just saw some pictures of Lahaina this morning, what a tragedy. From what I hear, it’s not over yet either, with fires still burning in multiple areas. I wonder how this will impact tourism dollars in this region over the upcoming winter.
 
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ashdigger

Lifer
Jul 30, 2016
11,392
70,233
61
Vegas Baby!!!
As someone who investigates Wildland Fire I can tell you what a hell scape it is.

People underestimate the speed at which a fire can travel in mixed vegetation.

Here’s a link where you can see more about these types of fires.

It doesn’t have Hawaii listed yet, but it still has important information.

 

kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
15,141
25,690
77
Olathe, Kansas
This is a very tough deal for the people involved and I am sorry for them. I assume most of them knew what they were doing by moving there.
 
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litup

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 16, 2015
781
2,388
Sacramento, CA
This is a very tough deal for the people involved and I am sorry for them. I assume most of them knew what they were doing by moving there.
I doubt it. Lahaina is/was a beachfront tourist town. I've visited there a couple of times and never once thought "fire risk". It's a bunch of stores, homes, churches, restaurants, etc. on the beach after all.
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,610
I'd never have associated wild fires with Hawaii. I worked with a Hawaiian born and raised, dad was Polynesian and his mom was of Chinese dissent. He was steeped in the oral tradition and spent many hours regaling me with Hawaiian lore, but nothing about wild fires.

In the Navy, I spent eight months on Midway Island which is part of the Hawaiian chain though hundreds of miles from Honolulu. I don't think there is enough vegetation to make a wild fire, though there are Australian ironwood trees planted by earlier tenants on the island. The hazards there are rising water levels, since there are only a few feet of elevation from sea level, and a vortex of plastic trash that endangers the wildlife, many species of birds, seals, sea turtles, and vast nesting of albatross.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
16,661
31,234
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Wildfires are no joke, hopefully they get it under control ASAP.
Hopefully we get it under control soon. Not sure with Maui but the severity of wildfires in the continental U.S. Comes from a very bad practice of fighting all forest fires if possible. Which means more fuel being left over which means it's easier for fires to start and way easier for them to get huge and out of control. Kind of what sucks about being human right there... We have to live with the bad choices our ancestors made (same bad choices we easily could have thought were good too) and then have to try and figure out how to argue against the past and convince people that certain things should change.
This kind of thing is going to happen more and more and get worse :(
On a lighter note, haven't actually come across anyone who's referred to the Artist Formerly Known as Twitter as X yet - gave me a chuckle.
I have and they said it in the same way your friends might refer to you by a lame nickname you insisted they call you by. "Oh that's king pipe smoker and lord of making ladies happy" said while rolling their eyes and with a tone that says only because he insisted that's his title.
 

PipeIT

Lifer
Nov 14, 2020
5,133
30,410
Hawaii
As a resident of Maui since 1991, I can certainly share.

Maui has the greatest topographical diversity/change of any Hawaiian island.

Lahaina means Merciless Sun in Hawaiian, Lahaina is always typically dry, and hardly ever sees rain.

You can be in Lahaina, and then drive only 10 minutes over to the next town Kaanapali, and it’s being flooded by intense rain.

Go to Hana, it’s a rain forest, then go on the backside of the island, just around the corner from Hana, and it’s a desert.

Maui is called the Valley Isle, mountains and valley peaks, extreme winds are always built up and generated whipping through these Valleys, which can also lend hand to generating or adding to heavy winds to create a situation like this.

Maui has seen, since I’ve lived here a history of small wild fires, but never on this scale.

Fires and Maui, I don’t believe anyones considers bizarre, given how so much of the island is extremely dry, and never sees rain. It’s just that, I’m sure no one ever considered to see it on this scale.
 
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warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
12,299
18,322
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
Yup. At one time it had the second wettest spot in the world and Makena Beach was the driest spot in the Pacific. Rainforest to arid desert beach with cactus in an hour's drive.

Set fires to burn cane fields were the most common fires dropping ash on the tourists. A lot of weed fields were consumed at the same time. Growers used to hide the weed plantings in the middle of the cane. Dangerous places for a sight seeing walk.
 

vosBghos

Lifer
May 7, 2022
1,633
3,588
Idaho
As someone who investigates Wildland Fire I can tell you what a hell scape it is.

People underestimate the speed at which a fire can travel in mixed vegetation.

Here’s a link where you can see more about these types of fires.

It doesn’t have Hawaii listed yet, but it still has important information.

The wind from a passing hurricane really spread the fire like crazy, the perfect storm for chaos scenario, truly tragic this...
 

PipeIT

Lifer
Nov 14, 2020
5,133
30,410
Hawaii
Death toll is still rising, some are saying this might turn out to be the greatest disaster in Hawaiian history... sheesh :(
 
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