Extreme weather
Aussies among those helping Hawaii fire response amid ‘pure devastation’
A massive community effort is under way as search and rescue missions on Maui continue.
- by Alex Crowe
Latest
Judge sides with young in first-of-its-kind US climate change trial
The ruling adds to a small number of legal decisions around the world that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change.
- by Matthew Brown and Amy Beth Hanson
Burnt cars, empty streets: Hawaii wildfire aftermath seen from above
On the ground many families are already confronting a painful reality: their loved ones did not make it out alive.
- by Bobby Caina Calvan and Giovanna Dell'Orto
In search for Hawaii fires cause, lawyers probe power lines
Michael Wara, a wildfire expert, said there is “no question” that the utility should have cut power to reduce wildfire risk with the forecast of gusty winds.
- by Mark Chediak and Jef Feeley
Death toll from Maui fires rises, as damages bill forecast to top $8 billion
The scale of the damage came into sharper focus as search teams with cadaver dogs sifted through the ruins of the historic resort town of Lahaina.
- by Mike Blake and Marco Garcia
Warning sirens did not sound on Maui, Hawaii official confirms
Residents who survived the fire have wondered aloud why no one activated the sirens, which emit noises at a higher decibel level than a loud rock concert.
- by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Serge F. Kovaleski
In Maui wildfires, communication failed. Chaos overtook Lahaina along with the flames
In the hours before a wildfire engulfed Lahaina, Maui County officials failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population of the approaching flames.
- by Rebecca Boone, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Audrey McAvoy
Toll from Hawaii fires rises as survivors return to assess the damage
Residents of the historic town of Lahaina were getting their first opportunity to re-enter their ravaged suburbs, but there are concerns more fires could break out.
- by Jill Cowan, Mike Baker and Mitch Smith
Updated
Maui fires
‘We’re heartsick’: Fires reduce Hawaiian town to wasteland as questions raised over lack of warning
Footage from Lahaina shows residents’ desperate escapes and war-like devastation. But records show no indication that sirens were triggered.
- by Ty O’neil and Claire Rush
‘Downslope winds’: How the Hawaii fires spread so quickly
As the arid winds swept over the West Maui Mountains, they forced air to accelerate down the west side of the mountains - with tragic results.
- by Dan Stillman
Updated
Maui fires
Hawaii ‘like an apocalypse’ as historic town destroyed by hurricane-fanned fires
The death toll from the inferno has reached 36. Some people had to flee into the ocean to escape fire and smoke.
- by Marco Garcia