The Burning Sea

The death toll from the Lahaina fire (89, and rising) has now surpassed that from the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA, in 2018 - both cases where a fast-moving fire entered a populated area with few exit roads. 

Lahaina was on the dry side of Maui. Conditions were dry, combustible grasses were present, and the area was affected by winds from Hurricane Dora, which was passing by to the south. Power lines were falling and may have set the fire. I'm curious whether there were also downslope winds present from the West Maui Mountains. The meteorological assessment will make grim reading. 

One horror of Lahaina was people fleeing into the burning sea at the shore. I heard previously that that the burning sea came from oil slicks caused by sinking, burning boats, but this fellow suggests that multiple layers of floating ash were responsible. Both explanations may be true. Unprepared people had to escape through all that, and many did not make it.

@realmattthewelder #duet with @Lahaina Fire Updates #lahainafire #hawaii #hawaiifire #hawaiifires ♬ original sound - Lahaina Fire Updates