The serial screwups behind the deadly wild fire in Maui

 The Lid:

Just when you think that this story can’t get any worse, somehow it does.  It is being reported that the wildfires that we just witnessed in Maui were the deadliest wildfires in the entire history of the United States, and according to Moody’s Analytics, they caused somewhere between four and six billion dollars in economic damage.  But the outcome could have been much different if authorities had responded more competently.  In fact, the fire that ultimately completely destroyed Lahaina could have been controlled if fire crews had not “left the scene even though the fire was still burning”…

Maui locals have questioned why the blaze, which developed into deadly wildfires that swept across the island, was left unattended by firefighters hours before it spread.

A fire broke out on the outskirts of Lahaina at around 6.30am on Tuesday, August 8 and was declared ‘100 percent contained’ several hours later. Fire crews then left the scene even though the fire was still burning within the containment area.

But within a few hours, there was a ‘flareup’ which quickly spiraled out of control and fire crews who responded again were unable to extinguish it.

Once the fire came roaring back to life,  lives could have been saved if authorities had not put up a barricade that blocked the only paved road out of Lahaina…

As flames tore through a West Maui neighborhood, car after car of fleeing residents headed for the only paved road out of town in a desperate race for safety.

And car after car was turned back toward the rapidly spreading wildfire by a barricade blocking access to Highway 30.

Have you seen photos of the lines of vehicles destroyed by fire right in the middle of the road?

An enormous number of people were trying to get out of Lahaina, and the only paved road out of the community became a death trap because so many vehicles got crammed behind the barricade.

But those who decided to disregard the barricade and drive around it saved themselves…

...

There is much more.

The barricade that led to the disaster was set up to prevent people from driving over downed power lines.   Failing to take it down as the wildfire spread was a deadly mistake.

Like Biden's disastrous retreat from Afghanistan, this operation demonstrates poor planning and execution.

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