On August 8th, 2023, fires swept through west Maui and upcountry. Within the few hours of the fire igniting, it reached Lahaina, where it decimated the town and all of it's historic sites. The fires were able to spread so fast due to many unfortunate factors: 

-Winds from hurricane Dora: passing hundreds of miles south of Hawai'i created upwards of 67 mph in Maui county.

-Lahaina's physical location: Dry, downward sloping winds naturally occur coming down from the mountains. These winds are called different things around the US: in Southern California they're called Santa Ana winds, in Alaska and the Rocky Mountains, Foehn/Chinook winds.  

-Dry brush surrounding Lahaina: the brush is Guinea Grass, an invasive species of weed that was introduced to the island in the 1870s as cattle feed. During the wet season, it can grow up to 6 inches a day, but during a drought, it wilts and becomes excellent fire starter :( 

Although many call Hawai'i paradise, these fires show Lahaina isn't too far separated from Paradise, CA.