Maui Wildfire Risk Mitigation
Kuau Bayview is grateful to Brian Carvalho of Kulolio Ranch for bulldozing a dirt firebreak in addition to the mowed strip to protect our houses! Many thanks to Patty Chaney of Maunaloa Plantations for contributing to this info.
Given the tragic, heartbreaking losses on Maui from the August 2023 wildfires, this page is an effort to educate our community on safeguarding our homes and our neighborhood from wildfires.
As we are adjacent to former cane fields, not unlike Lahaina, there is concern that Kuau Bayview may be similarly vulnerable to wildfires. Hawaii's hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov 30; it is not over yet. This year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts more than usual cyclone activity in the central Pacific due to it being an El Niño summer. An El Niño is a periodic warming of a strip of water straddling the equator in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first El Niño in four years. El Niño is forecast to grow in strength through fall and winter, most likely peaking in the moderate to strong intensity range between November and January. NOAA predicts that there will be four to seven cyclones this year. The usual wet season in Hawaii runs October to April but, thanks to El Niño, this wet season could be decidedly drier than normal. In Kula, the fire destroyed 19 homes and charred more than 200 acres, largely due to the prevalence of dried out invasive Black Wattle trees. Kula has Black Wattle; we have Haole Koa. When rain does come, it can cause landslides as dry ground cannot absorb the water. 100 Upcountry Maui residents have banded together to guard their land and prevent future fires and potential landslides. Efforts are also being made to protect Kuau Bayview.
Kulolio Ranch, a subsidiary of Mahi Pono, who purchased 41,000 acres of HC&S lands from A&B in 2018, now grazes cattle in the fields on three sides of KB. A firebreak was mowed in August next to the houses which is twice as wide as usual (see photo below) and Kulolio Ranch was kind enough to bulldoze a dirt firebreak as well. I have arranged for Brian Carvalho to notify me in advance of any dust-producing activities so that I can email owners to close their windows to avoid a house full of red dirt.
I have spent the last 2.5 years almost every day in the Retention Basin digging Haole Koa out by the roots and disposing of the seed pods. My goal is to eradicate HK from the RB, with Tom's help. Haole Koa is an extreme fire hazard with its brown seed pods that would ignite instantly and blow as embers. Along the top of the slope near the houses I have cleared a firebreak and am planting Agave and groundcover to stop any fire in its tracks (hopefully). In October Tom cut Haole Koa that was growing along the cattle fence on the Hana side of KB behind Lots 55,56,57. Dan & Lisa cleared behind Lots 53 and 54. Jeff is cutting Haole Koa behind Lot 49. Mahalo to everyone who is working to protect our community.
It is imperative that all owners adopt the attitude: "Plan for the worst and hope for the best" when it comes to mitigating wildfire risks. We cannot rely on MFD to be 100% available if a wildfire approaches KB. There may be multiple fires to put out.
YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE IS WITHIN THE FIRST 5 FEET OF YOUR HOME. Please educate yourselves by reading and watching the material presented below and act on protecting your home and your community.
Note: Sugar cane and bamboo are grasses. The accumulation of dry and dead debris is highly flammable. During high winds these grasses can ignite easily and blow in the wind spreading embers into and beyond your property.
1. Upcountry Maui Community Wildfire Protection Plan
2. Separating Your Home From Wildfire:
youtu.be/isf6COwOXPw?si=zGOJkV7Ee2Y7YJpi
3. PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM WILDFIRE EMBERS:
youtu.be/M9sel3wcBLg?si=LlY1RJYdSFqWftNW
4. UNDERSTANDING THE WILDFIRE THREAT TO HOMES:
5. YOUR HOME CAN SURVIVE A WILDFIRE:
youtu.be/vL_syp1ZScM?si=c_gLBnvljk97OlIw
6. UNDERSTANDING DEFENSIBLE SPACE:
youtu.be/a4JpOdS9ffI?si=MeyHlXegD3hRjKtO
7. USING WATER EFFECTIVELY IN THE WILDLAND/URBAN INTERFACE:
youtu.be/KKT-KH3QMx0?si=p5kUAP51k0AHTj1V
8. How to Prepare your Home for Wildfires
9. Everyone Knew the Invasive Grass of Maui Posed a Deadly Fire Threat
10. Kaua'ula Wind Warning
"Three or four days before the fire we [ residents of Kula ] could hear the wind blowing off the mountain. It sounded like a freight train. We never had a breath of air at our place, but 3 miles north of us it was blowing at 85 mph. I think if people had known historically how this had happened in the past and evacuated days before, so many lives would not have been lost."
Due to El Nino
11. Maui Wildfire History Map (1999-2022)
12. The Threat of Hawaii Wildfires: A Panel Discussion
13. Citizen Science Ash Analysis for residents impacted by the Maui fires.
