Hawaii Wildfires Kill 36

Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have killed at least 36 people this week, prompting Gov. Sylvia Luke to declare a state of emergency. “Our main focus now is to save lives,” said Maui Mayor Richard Bissen Jr.

The fires broke out on Tuesday. High winds from nearby Hurricane Dora, along with underlying drought conditions, provided perfect conditions for the fires to spread quickly and widely.

Lahaina, a tourist coastal town that was the capital of Hawaii in the 1800s, has suffered the most damage. So far, over 270 structures have burned down. Wind gusts of over 60 mph have knocked out electricity and grounded helicopters.

Fourteen people, including two children, were rescued from the waters off Lahaina, the Coast Guard reported. Many jumped into the ocean to escape the flames. Three residents suffered critical burns before fleeing into the sea. At least 20 other patients were rushed to a medical center. Evacuations have displaced over 2,100 people to four shelters. Kayului Airport sheltered another 2,000 travelers after flights were canceled.

A helicopter pilot with 52 years’ experience in the area said he has never seen anything come close to the destruction caused by these fires. One resident who grew up in Lahaina said, “It was so hard to sit there and just watch my town burn to ashes and not be able to do anything. I was helpless.”

The real cause: Many are blaming the disaster on climate change. Is that the true cause?

Recently, the United States government stopped keeping wildfire statistics dating back to 1926. Now, it only maintains such data back to 1983. Why throw out the numbers? The original data shows that massive wildfires were not uncommon. Our article “The Global Warming Scam” explains the climate-change hoax.

What then is the real cause of these tragedies? Why does God allow them? To answer these questions, request your free copy of Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?