How Hawaii's wildfires got so deadly

Also: abortion rights, the Montgomery brawl, and Big Food   Monday, August 14, 2023: 👋 Hey, everyone! Welcome back to Sentences. I’m Izzie Ramirez, deputy editor of Vox’s [Future Perfect](. For the next few months, I’ll be your host, serving up a fresh newsletter to you Monday through Friday. Here’s what’s up today: Spotlight: Why the fires in Hawaii became so deadly In other news: The erosion of church and state, why folding chairs are popping up on your feeds, and the crushing reality of a seventh-grade mom. Over the next couple months, we’ll be experimenting with the format of this newsletter to make it as useful to you as possible. You’ll probably notice a few changes today, like a more thorough briefing at the top of the newsletter as well as clearer roundup links. Our goal, as always, is to help you understand the most important stories going on in the world each day, and why they matter. We’d love to hear what you think. Holler at newsletters@vox.com or just reply to this email.   SPOTLIGHT How Hawaii’s fires became the deadliest in a century Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP Large wildfires were once rare in Hawaii — not so much anymore. Over the last week, several wildfires have burned [hundreds]( of acres in Hawaii, utterly decimating Lāhainā — the heart of Maui — [killing almost 100 people as of Monday morning](, burning multiple homes and businesses, and forcing people to [flee into the ocean]( for safety. It’s the [deadliest American wildfire blaze]( in the last century. The lowdown: There are a confluence of factors that made the fires especially deadly including… - Dry vegetation and drought. Dry, hot weather provides the foundation for extreme wildfires by sucking moisture out of vegetation and essentially turning it into kindling. - Strong winds. While Hurricane Dora — which is now a typhoon — didn’t hit Maui, the winds that preceded it helped fire spread. - Invasive species of grass are providing lots of fuel. Humans have been bringing more non-native grass to Hawaii, some of them are the sort that burn more quickly than native species. I spoke with our environmental reporter Benji Jones about how the sheer size of the fires, as well as a cascade of infrastructure problems, made [them extraordinarily bad](, and how climate change made them worse. “Residents had little time to evacuate,” he said. “There may have also been some issues with the island's warning systems. Outdoor warning sirens apparently didn't go off. And while residents may have received warnings directly to their phones, we know that cell service was down in parts of the island, so they may have never received them.” The takeaway: Climate change isn’t only making natural disasters more intense and frequent — it’s also [switching up the types of disasters people see.]( “The bottom line is that we can no longer trust past extremes, and past weather, to figure out how to prepare for the future,” Benji said. “This is where climate science is really valuable. There's plenty of data forecasting how the climate will change in different regions. Now is the time to prepare.” What’s next: Although President Joe Biden approved Hawaii’s disaster declaration — which allows the state to tap into federal recovery resources — last week, some locals have expressed [frustration at the speed of aid](. Hawaii’s tourism industry is also exacerbating the problem. Tourists have continued to fill hotels and rentals, leaving locals without [places to stay](, and are putting a strain on the supply of essential resources, like water and food. Native Hawaiians have pleaded on social media for tourists to cancel their vacation plans out of resource concerns [for years](, but the wildfire has brought those sentiments to the forefront. “Maui, and particularly Lāhainā, just suffered their worst natural disaster in recorded history,” Benji said. “One hundred percent of the focus among locals is on responding to this disaster, searching for survivors, and helping people and businesses recover. This is the time to help or get out of the way, not to play in the waves where people recently fled for their lives.” [Read Benji’s full piece here.](   ASK VOX 📣 What are the biggest questions you have about the Maui wildfires? Let us know by [filling out this form](!   ALSO ON VOX - A Supreme Court case about an Oklahoma charter school might change the separation of church and state. Supreme Court reporter Ian Millhiser [explains the stakes](. - Why you’re seeing folding chairs take over social media. Culture reporter Aja Romano dissects [the Montgomery brawl, racism, and small towns](. - Republicans are turning climate change into a culture war issue. And [their only climate policy isn’t actually effective](, argues climate reporter Rebecca Leber. - The assassination of a presidential candidate roils Ecuador. Politics reporter Li Zhou [untangles what’s next]( for the Central American country.    [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   AROUND THE WEB - The journey of a seventh-grader who couldn’t get an abortion. How rape in Mississippi was made worse by [strict abortion laws](. [Time] - Afghan evacuees reflect on the withdrawal of US troops two years later. 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