The second phase of the attorney general’s report on the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires includes over 100 recommendations for the state, county, utility companies and general public to better prepare and respond to the threat of wildfires.
Experts from the UL's Fire Safety Research Institute assisted in developing the analysis, which contains information about the state and county’s response to the disaster and provides recommendations to mitigate failings in future wildfire events.
“To be clear, this report is not to cast blame. It's to be considered, not to point fingers,” said Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez.
“In fact, you'll hear from FSRI that this report makes it clear that no one event, person or action caused the result or the outcomes of this fire," she said.
Report overview
The report documents a lack of planning in nearly every aspect of prevention leading up to the deadly Lahaina fires and then a breakdown in communication during the response.
Little vegetation management contributed significantly to the spread of the fire. Crowded subdivisions with cars parked on both sides of the street created roadblocks for evacuations and first responders. Many homes lacked defensible space, a buffer cleared of flammable debris, between structures.
It also attributes the failings to a general lack of risk perception regarding wildfires that resulted in limited policies and investments.
Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett acknowledged the overwhelming nature of the number of recommendations in the report but explained that a shift in mindset can make implementation feel more manageable.
“In a system where the culture shifts and everybody's alert and awake to the risk that we face and they're all doing their part, it doesn't seem so daunting. It just seems normal,” Pickett said.
“In other places where they know they have fire risk. Of course, the codes have wildfire-related safety measures in them. Of course, land managers are managing their vegetation. Of course, there's funding put toward a state fire marshal's office... it is common and best practice for the whole system to be aware of fire and build it into what they do," she said.
The Phase 2 report attributes the lack of preparation for the Maui fires to a “misconception of risk may have contributed to the lack of policy action, program development and code updates”. However, this is not the case for some communities in Hawaiʻi.
Fire management
There are 24 Firewise communities across the state — and 16 before the Maui wildfires.
The program is facilitated by the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, which helps residents prepare and protect their neighborhoods from fire. Many of those neighborhoods have had close calls with wildfires that led them to action when they noticed the lack of investment from government agencies.
One of the clearest examples of the impact the Firewise program has on fire management is Launiupoko, which was on the edge of the impacted area of the Maui wildfires, but significantly less affected because of its vegetation management. It has been a Firewise community since 2016.
Pickett hopes the report’s recommendations will continue the momentum needed to make better policies and actually implement plans statewide.
“It needs to be built into our everyday decision making as humans, and then it needs to be built into the policies that are put in place for buildings, for vegetation, for zoning, for taxes,” she said.
“And so those people who are working in those fields are not off the hook either. It's not just barbecues and vehicles or just the fire department. It's something we're facing and all of us have a role to play.”
What the Phase 2 report makes clear is that fire suppression efforts should be the last line of defense when it comes to wildfires. Instead, it suggests there should be systems in place focused on prevention.
Government responsibility
Gov. Josh Green has asked the attorney general’s office to create a list of the top 10 recommendations from the Phase 2 report.
Senate President Ron Kouchi is expecting a package of bills from the administration that the Legislature can take up in January.
“It is a shared responsibility to keep the community safe. Between the state, the county, and the private landowners, each of us needs to do our job to ensure that the others are safe,” Kouchi said.
“We need to look at building codes. Are there more fire retardant building materials that would be best practices to use? Are there design and construction that we should be looking at and how do we ensure between the state and the county that we are trying to build back in a way that would ensure better safety in the event of another fire?”
The state Legislature will have a potential $125 million reduction in anticipated tax revenue, the added costs of pandemic hazard pay for government workers, and the unknown amount of claims through the number of lawsuits related to the Maui wildfires.
However, Kouchi emphasized the urgency to invest in fire prevention now.
“If we can resolve the lawsuit with the settlement offer, it's a substantial amount of money,” he said.
“That just reminds you that we shouldn't put that money in investing in protecting versus deferring and then having a catastrophic event and paying more than what the prevention would have been,” Kouchi continued.
Phase 3 of the wildfire report is expected by the end of the year, which will include more policy suggestions and commentary from experts.
The attorney general said the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is in the final stages of its report that will determine the cause and origin of the fire. However, it is still unknown when it will be released.
