In the late night of August 7th, 2023, a horrendous Forest Fire occurred on the Coast of Maui Hawaii leaving over 110 civilians dead in now what is known as the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. The fires started in Lahaina and quickly spread to Maui lasting over 3 days until the fire was finally dissolved. As death counts keep rising it is reported to continue to double based on over 1,000 people are still reported missing. The citizens of Maui are upset about the lack of warning that was given when the fires started stating that there wasn’t enough time to evacuate leading to some of the highest death counts in history. Days later, some of the survivors took to social media stating that the media was not covering the majority of the damage and deaths. This has yet to be confirmed or denied by the news outlets covering the fires. Many are unaware of how the fires started but many speculations are starting to arise. There is still not any official release on the cause of the fires.
The internet has already started to draw its conclusion based on the wide speculations from Maui natives. Experts are concluding, but have yet to be officially released, that the high wind levels that tore down the power lines are the main source of the fast-spreading fires, but some believe far darker theories. Local Student Melanie Varela also believes that maybe there is something a little more sinister going on. Varela states,
“I just find it a little weird that the only houses that were damaged in Maui were the native residences, and not the celebrities’ mansions.” It has also been suggested that the Maui natives have been fighting against outsiders such as celebrities, who want to buy land that was not for sale. This has led to the conclusion that maybe these fires were a little more than a mistake.
The tragedy of the devastating Maui fires has left the city in shambles. The local natives are dedicated to rebuilding their town once it is safe enough to do so. The road to recovery for Maui will be a long one. The Maui Fire Department has only identified 10 of the 115 victims. The backlash of the lack of warning about the wildfires and the controversy surrounding the origin of the fires have caused the Emergency chief to resign due to the unbearable pressure placed on him. Our thoughts are with the victims who have lost their loved ones and lives.
