State officials issue evacuation orders as Hawaiian wildfire threatens hundreds of homes — ripping through over a mile of land

Not even a year after a historic wildfire that devastated the island of Maui in Hawai’i, residents on another of the state’s islands were put under an evacuation order earlier this week as a blaze put around 200 homes at risk.

What happened?

The rural island of Kauai witnessed a huge wildfire between Hanapepe and Kaumakani that put residents and businesses at risk.

According to the Guardian, firefighters were able to contain the blaze, but 1.56 square miles of land was destroyed, as well as one building.

The incident would have been triggering for the island nation’s residents, who would have been aware of and likely affected by the wildfire on Maui in August 2023, which killed over 100 people and displaced thousands. Approximately 3,000 buildings were destroyed, too.

Why is this wildfire event so concerning?

Considering the damage caused on Maui, the threat of wildfires is all too real for Hawaiians. 

According to analysis from Clay Trauernicht for the University of Hawai’i, shared by NBC News, fire frequency has been rising since the 1990s. The outlet’s report noted that as much land has been burned on the island in the last five years as the previous 20 combined. 

Allyson Earl, a fire researcher for the Hawai’i Wildfire Management Organization and the University of Hawai’i, told the publication that frequent and large fires are “now our new normal.”

With Hawaiian islands now featuring more flammable grasses because of invasive species and dry seasons becoming longer and drier as a result of global heating, these threats will only magnify if not dealt with appropriately.

What’s being done to prevent wildfires?

According to NBC News, wildfire preparations are being taken more seriously by the state, while organizations are trying to get the spread of flammable, invasive grasses under control — despite pushback from some landowners.

On a macro level, we all need to reduce the production of planet-warming pollution. Pollution exacerbates extreme weather events that increase the likelihood of wildfires, such as droughts.

We can achieve that by relying less on gas-guzzling cars, switching to pollution-free sources of energy, and by curbing our consumption of meat — which contributes to both high levels of pollution and results in land loss for the purposes of livestock grazing.

Wildfires aren’t just a risk to Hawaiians, either. They are a worldwide issue, from the Americas to Europe, and Asia to Oceania. We should all be concerned about our role in making them more common and severe, and making small lifestyle changes can deliver huge results.

For example, a study from clothing reseller ThredUp found that 22.8 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent can be reduced for every pound of clothes bought secondhand. 

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