Fire, forest officials urge caution as drought worsens

As large portions of Maui County continue to suffer from drought, with conditions expected to get worse this summer, state officials are urging the public to use caution and help prevent wildfires along the state’s dry landscapes.

“Recent rainfall has provided some benefit for leeward Kauai and Oahu, but moderate to extreme drought covers large portions of Oahu, Maui County and the Big Island,” meteorologist Derek Wroe, of the National Weather Service Honolulu Forecast Office said during a news conference on Oahu Tuesday. “As people know, we are heading into the hotter and drier summer months, and projections call for rainfall to be below normal. As a result, drought will likely expand and worsen over the fire prone leeward areas. These drier than normal conditions may linger into the beginning of the normal wet season in October and November.”

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which tracks conditions weekly, shows areas of extreme drought on Molokai, Kahoolawe, Maui and Hawaii island as of Thursday. Parts of Oahu are also under moderate or severe drought.

Only Kauai is currently drought free.

“As people know, we’re heading into the much dryer, hotter summer months, so there’s no reason to expect any relief from the drought,” Wroe said. “We do expect the percentage of land in the extreme to exceptional drought categories to grow.”

The annual Wildfire and Drought LOOKOUT! awareness campaign, hosted by the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, is asking residents to be prepared for drought conditions to worsen and to help prevent wildfires. The annual campaign is a collaborative effort between dozens of wildfire and water management organizations and agencies statewide, according to a news release from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

“Most wildfires in Hawaii tend to be smaller in size when compared with other western states,” said Clay Trauernicht, an ecosystems and fire extension specialist at the University of Hawaii Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. “However, most years, as a percentage of land area, Hawaii loses as much acreage to fire as all the large states on the West Coast and in the Western U.S. Fortunately, there is a lot we can do to protect our people and places from wildfire. We just all need to take preparedness action.”

Mike Walker, state wildfire manager with DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, pointed to a recent 3-acre fire on Oahu that likely sparked from an unattended roadside campfire.

“In this same area we’ve had four or more fire starts from unextinguished campfires,” he said. “This forest and many others around the state are bone dry and getting drier by the day.”

Ground fires are always strictly prohibited on lands managed by DOFAW, which include state forest reserves and natural area reserves, according to DLNR. Campfires must be in a container, such as a barbecue grill or metal drum. All embers must be extinguished when the fire is unattended.

“We recommend campers and hikers carry extra water and fire extinguishers in their vehicles when in forested or vegetated areas, especially during dry, windy summer months,” Walker added.

Walker noted that while DOFAW has primary fire suppression responsibility on state lands under its jurisdiction, initial response and firefighting is often shared with county fire departments.

Maui Fire Department officials said last month that brush fires have been on the rise since the start of the year, going from nine in January to 12 in February, 18 in March and 21 in April.