He told the New York Times, "You can't fight fire when you don't have water… Just throwing dirt on it doesn't cut it." According to the report, the blaze took root among homes along the hillside nearly a mile above the center of town and the fire crews encountered increasingly feeble water pressure, with the wind turning the streams into mist. Then, as the fire stoked by hurricane-force gusts grew, roaring further toward the historic center of town on the island of Maui, the hydrants sputtered and became largely useless. Firefighter Keahi Ho confirmed: "There was just no water in the hydrants." Another resident, Edwin Lindsey III, a firefighter who also lost his home to the fire, sits on the county's Board of Water Supply. According to him, he spoke with a firefighter who said it had been demoralizing for crews to watch the advance of the fire with little ability to slow it. Lindsey said he hoped that the water issues, one of several challenges the community faced, including a struggle to evacuate all residents, would be part of a larger discussion about lessons from the fire. The news outlet further said that the water system in Lahaina relies on both surface water from a creek and groundwater pumped from wells. The local and state officials blame the persistent drought conditions combined with population growth so they claimed to be exploring ways to shore up water supplies. A new well was dug two months ago to increase capacity, they said. Reports list this occurrence as the "deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century and the worst natural disaster in the state of Hawaii's history." Last week, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Hawaii, unlocking emergency assistance for the island, including grants for temporary housing and home repair and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. According to Hawaii Governor Josh Green, more than 500 hotel rooms and 435 donated rentals are available to temporarily house people and Airbnb will provide more than 1,000 units.When the fire came, the water shut off#Lahaina#Maui pic.twitter.com/k2r0C2VhZl
— Momo (@Momootjem2) August 15, 2023
Disaster.news has more stories related to this.Maui Island, Hawaii fire survivor and first hand witness speaks out; " this was not a natural disaster" #Hawaii #hawaiifires #Maui #MauiFires #Lahaina pic.twitter.com/0CCdAVhbcy
— Ivan (@Ivankalema01) August 13, 2023
Atlanta private college reintroduces mask mandate and physical distancing amid new COVID-19 scare
By Belle Carter // Share
White-hot Maui fires fueled by chemtrail aerosols, ammonium nitrate
By Ethan Huff // Share
U.S. proxy war: Kyiv’s counteroffensive kills 800 Ukrainians per day, Russia reports
By Belle Carter // Share
TSA and Border Patrol officials reveal Biden’s plan to reinstate full lockdown measures
By Laura Harris // Share