In Hawaii, the Maui wildfires have killed at least 106. It is the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Nearly a week after the disaster, hundreds of people are still unaccounted for. It started on August 8. The causes of the Hawaii wildfires have not yet been determined.
Deadlist wildfire in US history
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin started on October 8, 1871, and killed 1,152.As a result of dry winter, spring, and summer, the town was particularly vulnerable when a low-pressure system kicked up a strong wind. It transformed a nearby brushfire into a blaze.
Cloquet Fire
According to the Library of Congress, the Maui wildfire is the deadliest since the Cloquet Fire in October 1918. The NFPA set a death toll of 453.
Vulnerability of houses in the US
The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) defines wildfires as “an unplanned, unwanted fire burning in a natural area, such as a forest, grassland, or prairie.”
In the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about half the land area is composed of shrubland, forest, and grassland. Currently, there are almost 45 million U.S. homes located near or adjacent to such areas. The National Interagency Fire Center says that there are 71.8 million properties in the country that are “at some level of risk from wildfire.”
Role of climate change
Climate change increases dry and hot conditions. This helps fires spread faster. Also, hotter weather saps moisture from vegetation, turning it into dry fuel that assists fires to spread.
(With inputs from Reuters)