Understanding the Maui Fires: Resources

Our hearts go out to our families, friends, colleagues, and all those affected by the devastating fires on Maui. As this tragedy continues to unfold, the Pacific RISA team is committed to supporting communities experiencing loss.

For anyone looking for a way to help, there are many ways to support Maui families through donation and mutual aid. Here are a few ways to donate or offer assistance:

• The Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong fund is providing financial assistance that can be deployed rapidly for disaster response
• Maui Food Bank is accepting online and in-person donations (see webpage for requested food and aid items), and is coordinating emergency volunteer response efforts on Maui for those on island
• Maui United Way is providing daily grant funds to grassroots organizations on Maui to meet urgent community needs
• Maui Humane Society is accepting monetary donations as well as pet food and supplies, as it strives to reunite lost pets with their owners and care for animals injured in the fires
• Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement through the Kākoʻo Maui Fund is matching donations to provide shelter, food, financial assistance, and other services to those impacted by the fires
• The Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization is accepting donations for the ongoing relief efforts, as well as partnering with communities and grassroots groups to reduce risk and increase preparedness for climate-related wildfire disasters
• A Master List of Direct Fundraisers for Maui Fire Victims has been developed with direct links to fundraising pages for victims of the fire
• Maui Rapid Response has created this online form to efficiently match community needs to the overwhelming influx of offers that are coming in on the islands and beyond
• To determine if an online charity is reputable, you may use this resource from the Hawaiʻi Attorney General’s Office

For additional up-to-date information and updates, here are a few pages to follow:

• If you or someone you know is looking for a person you believe is missing or impacted, please use this resource.
• The County of Maui Facebook page is posting real-time updates – you can also find them on Instagram @CountyofMaui
• NASA and the US Forest Service have produced a real-time fire information map for Maui

Here, we offer some resources for understanding the context and science of wildfire in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands. The following articles, books, and web resources examine how fires and their impacts are driven by factors such as colonialism, drought, invasive species, and our changing climate, as well as possible solutions. We will continue to update this page with relevant resources.

Pacific RISA joins with other climate organizations to focus even greater effort and resolve going forward in working with Hawaiʻi’s communities to create a safe, just, and equitable climate future.

Web Resources
Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO)
Pacific Fire Exchange
Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange
Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal

Overview of Wildfire in Hawaiʻi (From HWMO)

• Wildfire in Hawaiʻi
• Annual Summary (2018) of Wildfires in Hawaiʻi
• Overview of Wildfire in Hawaiʻi: Trends/Patterns and Available Programs (webinar)

The Role of Weather, Climate Change, and/or Invasive Species in Wildfire

• Webinar: When Climate Change and Invasive Species Intersect
• El Niño and Fire Weather on Pacific Islands
• Weed Fire Risk Assessment Tool: a Hands-On Webinar for Land Managers & Owners
• Webinar: Changing Climate and Wildfire in Hawaiʻi
• Changing Climate and Fire: a Crisis Brewing in the Pacific (fact sheet)
• Changing Climate & Wildfire in Hawai‘i: Current Observations & Future Projections (fact sheet)

 Academic Articles and Books

Kamelamela, K. L., and Coauthors, 2022: Kōkua aku, Kōkua mai: An Indigenous Consensus-driven and Place-based Approach to Community Led Dryland Restoration and Stewardship. Forest Ecology and Management, 506, 119949, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119949

Trauernicht, C., E. Pickett, C. P. Giardina, C. M. Litton, S. Cordell, and A. Beavers, 2015: The Contemporary Scale and Context of Wildfire in Hawai’i. Pacific Science, 69, 427–444.

Trauernicht, C., E. Pickett, P. Beimler, C. P. Giardina, S. Cordell, J. B. Friday, E. Moller, and C. M. Litton, 2018: Assessing Fire Management Needs in the Pacific Islands: A Collaborative Approach. Fire Management Today, 76, 30–35.

Articles & Stories in Popular Media

“Why Hawai‘i’s Wildfires Are Growing Bigger and More Intense”
By Cynthia Wessendorf, Hawaiʻi Business Magazine, Nov 11, 2022

“These factors are making it hard to combat the deadly Maui wildfires”
By Ray Sanchez, CNN, Aug 10, 2023

 “How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox”
By Christopher Flavelle and Manuela Andreoni, New York Times, Aug 10, 2023

 “Chaos and Terror: Failed Communications Left Maui Residents Trapped by Fire. Scores Died.”
By Rong-Gong Lin II, Alexandra E. Petri, and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, Aug 11, 2023

“As Fires Destroy Native Hawaiian Archive in Maui, Mutual Aid Efforts Are Launched to Help Lahaina”
Democracy Now! (video and transcript), Aug 11, 2023 

“Unprecedented”: Fire Expert Says Climate & Native Vegetation Changes Fueled Explosive Maui Wildfires”
Democracy Now! (video), Aug 11, 2023

“Living Through Maui’s Unimaginable Wildfires”
By Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, Aug 11, 2023

“Maui fires not just due to climate change but a ‘compound disaster”
By Scott Dance, Washington Post, Aug 12, 2023

 “Records show Hawaii underestimated the deadly threat of wildfires”
CNN, Anderson Cooper 360 (video)

“Hawaii wildfires: did scientists expect Maui to burn?”
By Emma Marris, Nature News, Aug 14, 2023

“Why Maui Burned”
Vox, Today Explained, Aug 15, 2023

“Maui’s Grass Fire Cycle Explained”
BBC (video), Aug 17, 2023

“Locals have been sounding the alarm for years about Lahaina wildfire risk”
Anita Hofschneider, Grist.org, Aug 17, 2023

“How 19th-century pineapple plantations turned Maui into a tinderbox”
Claire Wang, Guardian, Aug 27, 2023