Criminal Negligence by the Banana Republic Government of Maui to Blame for Lahaina Disaster
This negligence that resulted in the Lahaina Disaster includes lack of preparation and equipment for handling the readily foreseeable danger of a large Wild Fire affecting the historic town of Lahaina
I have discussed much of this in previous posts so I wont bog you down in repeating the details to keep the length reasonable
Some will say nobody could have expected this, but that is a lie. That reminds me of Condoleezza Rice and Bush saying nobody could have have foreseen the use of airplanes as weapons on 9/11
It was widely predicted years before the fire. In 2018 Hurricane Lane sparked a blaze that scorched 2,100 acres in Hills above Lahaina. In 2020, West Maui was identified as having the highest probability of wildfires of anywhere in the county. In 2021 the state of Hawaii predicted such an event could occur. The winds that spread the Lahaina blaze so quickly came with days of advance notice, yet still the Fire Chief and head of their Emergency Department were allowed to be off island on August 8
While not necessarily criminal, at least not until an independent criminal investigation is conducted and concludes otherwise, the decisions made on August 8 to not sound the Sirens and order a wide scale evacuation, blocking roads to prevent residents, and to call fire engines away from the initial fire which was contained but not extinguished contributed to a massive loss of life and property
I will discuss the Police and Fire Departments in a bit more detail at the end of this post
The response following the August 8 tragedy was also beyond despicable, at least according to residents who have reported this online. The arrogance and aggression of the Mayor and Police Chief in responding to legitimate questions concerning actions taken or lack thereof is unacceptable.
The Fire Chief, despite an acceptable demeanor has also not provided adequate information on his departments response such as who went where when and how many resources were at his disposal
The refusal to allow residents to return to their homes in a controlled fashion for closure, especially when most of the area has been searched for remains can not be justified. The environmental concerns for short visits as a reason is BS seeing as Biden was allowed entry with no PPE. Contrast that with East Palestine when they couldn’t get residents back into their homes fast enough before environmental testing was completed.
Likewise, the delay in getting residents internet and cellular phone services, and the apparent lack of adequate measures to provide help to survivors not living in shelters without access to laptops, internet and phone communications to request the assistance they need is disappointing to say the least.
Also, the lengthy delay in providing a missing persons list so as to help the disconnected get connected is mind boggling. You would think this is the first major disaster ever.
The early restrictions on allowing West Maui residents to return after leaving the area to obtain needed supplies was inexplicable, as is the current restrictions on using drones over the area, lack of media access, building fences around Lahaina and what seems to be an overzealous if not paranoid effort to keep whatever operations are being conducted there secret
With the news that Hawaiian Electric had de-energized the powerlines in the afternoon, a criminal investigation into the cause of these fires must be conducted. Its simply impossible to understand how that initial fire with 50-60 mph Easterly Winds pushing the fire West could have burned so far North and South.
Less than a mile to the water West of the initial fire to the water where the wind was blowing the fire, while it spread 2 1/2 miles to the south and 2 miles to the north without any wind in that direction?
Flare up of fire at 3 pm - yellow spot
And with powerlines being de-energized, what was the cause of the fire that began in the evening in North Lahaina (Wahikuli) after 9 pm, sparing nobody but the Fire and Police stations at the northern edge of Lahaina
Isn’t it somewhat interesting that so much of the cities public infrastructure was spared.
Starting at the North end of Lahaina, I see the Fire Station, Courthouse, Civic center, Police Station where all spared from fire damage despite very clear fire damage to surrounding undeveloped land around these buildings.
What’s unique about this is the infrastructure of this town is intact. The gov buildings are fine, all roadways are fine and usable. Bridges are intact. The water treatment plant on top of the hill adjacent to school (east end of Lahaina) is fine. School is intact. The substation and solar farm next to school are intact. The commercial area and new low-income homes being built off Lahaina bypass are fine. Wastewater treatment plant appears to be north of Lahaina in Kaanapali is intact. Essentially, it’s a turnkey community ready to be “redeveloped”
Some of it may be coincidence and better construction quality of the government buildings/infrastructure. The location of many of the facilities at the extreme Northern and Eastern parts of Lahaina explains some of it as well.
I am not buying into DEW’s. A match to dry grass in strategic locations in that wind with no fire fighters with water to put it out would suffice
The company said that a fire in the area at 6:30 a.m. local time on Aug. 8 appeared to be caused by power lines that fell in high winds. The Maui County Fire Department, which responded to that fire, had declared that the fire had been “extinguished,” and the fire department left the scene by 2 p.m.
Then at about 3 p.m., after the Hawaiian Electric power lines had been “de-energized” for more than six hours, a second fire began in the same area, with the cause of that fire still not determined.
The company says there was no electricity flowing through the wires in Lahaina or anywhere else on the West Maui coast by the time that the second fire broke out that afternoon
Of course, the delay in Hawaiian Electric reporting this is a bit suspicious, but there were many reports of widespread power outages in the afternoon.
But who will investigate? Governor Greens handpicked Attorney General? The ATF which arrived more than a week ago? Unfortunately, we have sadly learned that when Government investigates itself they mainly just cover up any crime or deliver a patsy.
Was there an even larger Conspiracy at play?. I am still bothered by Governor Green jumping on the Global Boiling wagon, and his eerily timed Emergency Declaration for Housing, and the FEMA sponsored meeting that removed two of Mauis top officials for Emergencies, and the date of occurrence (bombing of Nagasaki-Japan time) , and clearly there are those who will profit from this, including Smart City advocates. My mind is open but there is not enough for me to say there was a larger conspiracy at play. Not ruling it out though.
DEW’s
While I am at it , let me debunk the theory going on that it must be DEW’s due to melted aluminum from cars
Below is a car after a Forest Fire
A forest fire that raged around Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has created an apocalyptic scene of destruction likely totaling in the billions. Resorts, homes and cars were left destroyed in the fire’s wake.
Scott Frederick, an employee at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa, captured stunning images of the fire’s destruction on a few cars left behind when the resort was evacuated.
Some 14,000 people were evacuated from Gatlinburg.
The liquid aluminum snaking away from the burned-out cars was once the cars’ wheels. The images are fascinating considering aluminum liquifies at 1,221 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Imagine the sheer amount of heat required to liquify aluminum rims, or a block,” Frederick told WATE 6. “I can only imagine the inferno that was here when I took these pics.”
https://www.autoweek.com/news/a1858946/tennessee-forest-fires-liquefy-aluminum-rims/
Ok, so you might argue that comparing grass fires to forest fires is not fair. This is reasonable, but the heat that melts the aluminum is coming from the car itself. Even without a full tank of gasoline these fires can reach 1000 deg C if not extinguished early
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X17301053
BTW- I gave Eric West the YT Real Estate Agent a plug in a recent post for his early coverage but he looks like he has been turned , so best be cautious with him
Next up
Where are all the babies?
I covered some of this in a previous post, but kids were not released from Lahaina schools early. There were 4 public schools in Lahaina, serving what I understand to be all of West Maui.
Three of them were at the top of Lahailuna and no classes were scheduled on 8/8 due to teachers day. An Elementary School near Front St was cancelled early in the morning before kids went to school. That school got wiped out in the fire
There are some who are implying the release of kids from school early resulted in a tremendous loss of life. However, as shown, they were not released early, and even if they were, classes end at 2:10 pm anyways. The fire restarted at about 3 pm and kids tend to hang around school after school.
Then there are the number of kids going to school there. The number seems correct, about 3000 students, but as I understand it Lahaina schools serves all of West Maui , and since Lahaina is about half of West Maui’s population half the students likely live outside Lahaina, and many lived in Wahaikuli (North Lahaina) which was-not affected by fire until evening
I don’t know how many kids died, but I hope it was not as many as some are saying and I suspect those that died did not die alone.
Another Fire. LIVE Exercise or Arson
Now lets move on to some other matters
ANOTHER Fire Breaks North of Lahaina Close to Hyatt Hotel Housing Most of the Survivors!
Yikes. Fortunately its was only a typical grass fire involving no structures and while it was a breezy day, it was not like 8/8
But here is the puzzle. How did it start. There was no lightning. No downed power poles. So its either arson or some dope tossing a lighted cigarette out the car window.
Another possibility is it was a live exercise to restore confidence in the MFD fighters and test out citizens response to the use of sirens which apparently were authorized by the new Emergency Management Services Chief. I have no evidence that was the case.
But lets zoom in on the arson hypothesis. Maui was plagued by a suspected fire bug last year, and I don’t think we can rule out an arsonist supplementing fires started by downed power lines. Perhaps the same one that may have been at work in Lahaina
https://www.khon2.com/local-news/maui-brush-fire-prompts-road-closure-evacuations/
Coincidence
Outrigger Hospitality Group acquired Kaanapali Beach Hotel and The Plantation Inn, adding the two Maui properties to its portfolio of 26 resorts, hotels and vacation condos that it owns and/or operates in the islands.
The Kaanapali Beach Hotel transaction closed on July 26, 2023 and the property will be rebranded as Outrigger Kaanapali Beach Resort.
As part of the transaction, Outrigger will also take ownership of The Plantation Inn, an 18-room bed and breakfast near Front Street in Lahaina. At this time, no changes are planned for the adults-only accommodation, Outrigger said.
Outrigger is a big fish in Hawaii. Sounds like The Plantation Inn was a throw in, if you want the gold take this piece of coal. Plantation Inn was gutted in the fire. The insurance money might turn the coal into more gold
Like I said in an earlier post this reminds me of Larry Silverstein and his 99 year lease on WTC months before 9/11
Police and Fire Department
While downed live power lines are good reasons to block a road to repair the power line and for safety purposes, that is not the case when that road is peoples only egress from a mass fire event. We have reports that some survivors did so by running the blockade and safely evacuating, while some of those who heeded the blockade were then forced to abandon the vehicle and no doubt many perished
Also, if Hawaiian Electric is correct and the lines were de-energized, this makes the barricades even more puzzling, although its possible they were not aware of this.
Now onto the Fire Department . To this day we have not been told the disposition of Maui Fire Resources on Lahaina. We do know Maui only has 10 fire stations on the main island, and there were also fires in Kula and Kihei.
How many stations were dispatched to Lahaina on 8/8 before the fire was out of control , and when were they dispatched?
Why did the fire fighters who responded to the first fire which was contained by 9 pm but never extinguished depart by 2 pm ? The Fire Chief said it was to respond to calls over downed power lines. Why couldn’t the police and HECO handle that on their own. That fire then restarted before 3 pm and got out of control before firefighters came back.
That was the game changer right there.
How many fire stations were actually in Lahaina at 3 pm? My hypothesis is they had no more than 2 stations working in Lahaina before 3:30 pm, and with the winds what they were, and given the vulnerabilities of the power lines built to outdated 1960’s standards, drought conditions, and a town where many structures did not meet modern fire codes, thay was grossly insufficient.
That first fire should never have been left unattended in these conditions
We know from this video another two fire stations were dispatched to Lahaina from the South and appeared to arrive between 3:30 pm -4 pm and were quickly overwhelmed .
When they were evacuated (no time given ) the described cars jammed up on Lahainaluna Rd which blocked their egress when they tried to evacuate. They were then told to depart via Lahainaluna at the top of the hill, presumably using the bypass but they got blocked and were sheltering in place until a police SUV appeared to evacuate them (presumably vis the highway that was blocked for many others seeking to flee toward the South)
Another Firefighter Interview
Based on bits and pieces by 4 pm I believe the following 4 companies were working Lahaina
Wailuku Engine 1
Kihei. Engine 6
Napili. Engine 11
Lahaina. Engine 3
According to Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, around 20 firefighters were in Lahaina sometime after 3 p.m. Two fire engines were scorched in the process.
This is consistent with 4 companies being in Lahaina, unfortunately the last two came too late
The Maui Fire Department has roughly 200 firefighters, according to Lee. Under normal circumstances, about 60 to 70 are working at any given time out of 10 fire stations, including one in Lahaina, he said. They cover Hawaii’s second largest island, which spans over 700 square miles.
Standards set by the National Fire Protection Association say the first fire engine company should arrive within four minutes of an alarm. But Maui County has previously said that it doesn’t consider that standard realistic for the island.
“The Department does not meet response time objectives defined in NFPA 1710 and does not view them as realistically achievable within the jurisdiction,” a 2016 Maui Fire Department report states. “The wide geographic separation of populated areas by ocean channels, mountains, and unpopulated land areas makes travel times a huge challenge.”
That document, called a “standards of cover” report, noted that times for processing calls and “turnout” – the time it takes firefighters to get dressed, grab their gear and leave the station – also fell below performance goals.
A more recent standards of cover report was not readily available.
Clearly they need more stations and equipment, and water given reports the water was inadequate. For coastal towns like Lahaina surrounded by water the lack of water is ridiculous, even if it requires a bit of investment to utilize it.
Like I said . Banana Republic. Bunch of suits collecting big checks doing jack shit. Its not even hindsight. Maybe they should demolish their existing government and Build Back Better
One additional comment, Mayor Bissen explained that he was out of the loop on Lahaina in his 6 pm interview on 8/8 because Engine 6 did not report on schedule. But Engine 6 is only 1 of 4 Engines. Shouldn’t all of them have reported in? Just another piece of the puzzle.
I’ll end it here.
The fire stations are woefully under equipped, as well.
Thank you, you were thorough!