As Lahaina Burned, Fire Crews Waited an Hour for Equipment

NYT: There were warnings of high wildfire danger in the days before a deadly blaze overtook the town of Lahaina in Hawaii last year, but the Maui Fire Department did little to get crews set in areas at risk and then struggled to launch firefighting vehicles once the blaze began consuming the town, according to an analysis of the wildfire released on Tuesday.

Some of the crews called up for duty reported that there were delays of up to an hour during the frantic effort to deploy them to the fire lines as workers struggled to gather equipment for their vehicles.

The after-action report, which looked back on the Maui County Fire Department’s response to a disaster that left 101 people dead, highlighted the decision to pursue “minimal upstaffing and prepositioning of resources” in the days before the fire despite the dire weather alerts….

read … As Lahaina Burned, Fire Crews Waited an Hour for Equipment

PDF: 2023-Wildfire-After-Action-Report (mauicounty.gov)

PDF: Maui Police Dept AAR (mauipolice.com)

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AP: Maui Fire Department report on deadly wildfire details need for more equipment and mutual aid plans | AP News

SA: Findings from Lahaina fire investigations being released | Honolulu Star-Advertiser (staradvertiser.com) 

SA: Improved evacuation plans needed, after-action report finds

HNN: ON TUESDAY: Maui Fire Department to release ‘after-action’ on devastating wildfires

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CNN: Hawaii wildfires 2023: New report details problems and heroism from Maui’s disastrous infernos 

IM: Maui Fire Report -- Bravery of Fire Fighters, People Are the Problem | Ililani Media