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Ma ka mokuʻāina i hele a kamaʻāina i ka pilikia o ke kai eʻe a me ka makani pāhili, ke hōʻike mai nei ka pōpilikia ma Lāhainā i ka pono i nā alahele hou e kiaʻi ʻia ai nā ola, nā home, a me nā kaiāulu. 

Ke hoʻokani ʻia nei nā oeoe e nā hui kilo ahi: He “nui loa ka pāhiki ahi” ma Hawaiʻi a hiki i ʻOkakopa, wahi a ka National Interagency Fire Center. Wahi a ka U.S. Department of Agriculture, he 96% “pāhiki ahi ʻāhiu” o ko Hawaiʻi mau kalana ma mua o ko nā kaiāulu ʻē aʻe ma ke koena o ke aupuni ʻAmelika. 

Wahi a nā loea hōʻalo ahi me ka ʻike mai ʻAmelika mai a me nā pilina me Hawaiʻi, ua hoʻololi ʻokoʻa ʻia nō ke kūkākūkā ʻana i ke ahi ʻāhiu mai kēia wā aku, ma ka mokuʻāina a me ke aupuni, ma muli o ke ahi ma Lāhainā. 

“Ua hoka ʻo Hawaiʻi i ka hoʻomaopopo ʻole ʻana o kākou he lāhui i ka nui ʻiʻo o ka pilikia,” wahi a Gary Honold, ke alakaʻi māhele ʻāina o ka National Fire Protection Association, a he malihini nāna e kipa pinepine mai i kēia pae ʻāina nei no ka nānā ʻana i nā kānāwai palekana ahi ma Hawaiʻi. “He minamina nō, na ka poʻe Hawaiʻi i uku i ke kumukūʻai no mākou e hoʻomaopopo a ʻike leʻa aku ai i ia mea ma ke ʻano he kāhea hoʻāla.”

Nui nā kumu no ka hoʻonui ʻia ʻana o ka pilikia ma Hawaiʻi: ʻo ka hoʻomehana ʻia ʻana o ka honua e ka hoʻohuli aniau, ka hōʻea pinepine ʻana o ka wā maloʻo, ka pā kuluma o nā makani ʻino, ka ulu wikiwiki ʻana o nā mauʻu haole, ke emi ʻana o ka nui limahana mahikō nāna e mālama i nā ahi, ka hoʻomaloʻo ʻana i ka lako wai a me nā hana hemahema ma ke kahu ʻana i ka ʻāina. 

Ua ʻōʻili mai kēia mau pilikia i ka mua o ka noʻonoʻo ma kēia mau pule ʻelua i hala aku nei ma ke kūkākūkā ʻana i ke kumu kikoʻī no ka pohō o ke ola o nā kānaka a me ka pono ma Lāhainā. 

ʻŌlelo naʻe nā loea ahi, he mau hana kā ka poʻe e hana aku ai no ka hōʻalo ʻana i kekahi o ka pilikia a me ke kāohi ʻana i ke ahi. Kuhi lākou i nā mea koʻikoʻi e hoʻokō ʻia ai ka hoʻā a me ka hoʻā ʻole ʻia ʻana o nā hale, e laʻa ka makelia o ke kaupoku, ka hoʻonaninani ʻāina ʻana, ke kāpae ʻana i ka ʻōpala pā hale e ʻume ai nā nanahu ahi a me ka hoʻēmi ʻana i ka nui o nā kūkulu e kū kokoke ana kekahi i kekahi. 

Ma ka ʻaoʻao kau kānāwai, wahi a lākou, he pono ko nā kamaʻāina o Hawaiʻi e hui pū a alu like me nā hoa noho no ka hōʻoi ʻana i nā kānāwai kūkulu palekana no ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i ka hoʻopalekana ʻana. 

ʻO ka mālama ponoʻī ʻana kahi maikaʻi e hoʻomaka aku ai, wahi a lakou, a hiki ke hoʻomaka me ka nānā pono ʻana i nā kūlana ma ka hale. 

“He aha lā nā mea kūpale i pono ai ka hōʻalo ʻana i kēia mau ʻā mua ʻana?” wahi a Ian Giammanco, ka luna hoʻohana o nā kūlana paʻa a me ke kālai ʻikepili a me ka luna noiʻi anilā ma ka Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. 

ʻO Giammanco, he wahine kāna i hānai ʻia ma Oʻahu nei, a noʻonoʻo ʻo ia, loaʻa iā ia ka haʻina. Ua hoʻopau aku nei ʻo ia i kekahi hōʻike i ka pohō mai luna mai ma Lāhainā, me ka nānā pono ʻana i nā kiʻi, nā palapala ʻāina a me kiʻi ʻāina no ka hōʻike ʻana i ke ʻano o ke kūkulu ʻana i palekana ai nā kūkulu a me nā kānaka ma laila. 

I loko nō o ka luku ʻokoʻa ʻia ʻana, hoʻokahi kauhale nō i pohō loa ʻole i ke ahi, ʻo ia hoʻi kekahi wahi i kūkulu ʻia ma waena o ka makahiki 2019 a me 2020, a he mau hale ko laila no nā ʻohana he nui a he liʻiliʻi. 

He mau hiʻona ko ke kauhale i loaʻa ʻole i nā hale kahiko, e laʻa nā kaupoku i kūkulu ʻia me nā pili kimeki a me nā makelia i hiki ʻole ke hoʻā ʻia ma nā paia. A he kauahale hou nō hoʻi ia, a ʻuʻuku ka lāʻau ma kēlā ʻāina, a wahi a Giammanco, ma muli o kēia, “ʻaʻohe wahie hoʻopili” no ke ahi e ʻai iho ai. 

ʻO nā mea pōʻino ʻē aʻe, ʻo ia nō nā pā lāʻau, a wahi a Giammarco, lilo kēia mea i “ʻuwiki e lawe ʻia mai ai ke ahi i ka hale,” a me nā pili lāʻau. 

Ka Palena He ʻElima Kapuaʻi

ʻO ka National Fire Protection Association, ka mea hoʻi nāna e noiʻi ana i ka nui ʻana o nā ahi ʻāhiu no nā makahiki he 20 a ʻoi, nāna e aʻoaʻo i nā ʻona hale e hoʻokaʻawale i māhele ʻā ʻole ma ko lākou ʻāina ma o ka hoʻoneʻe ʻana i nā lāʻau i ʻelima kapuaʻi a ʻoi aku mai waho aku o ka hale. Aʻoaʻo hoʻi lākou e kāpae aku i ka ʻōpala ma nā aʻa a me nā pulumi no ka hoʻēmi ʻana i ka pāhiki ahi. 

ʻO ke kūkulu ʻana i nā ʻōnaehana o nā kānaka i hiki ke alu like a noke i ka hōʻoi ʻana i nā hana palekana ahi ma ko lākou mau alahele a me nā kauhale, ʻo ia nō ka mea koʻikoʻi ma ka ʻimi ʻana i nā haʻina no ke kaiāulu, wahi a Megan Fitzgerald-McGowan, he luna polokalamu no Firewise USA, he hui i kunikia ʻia a kākoʻo ʻia e ke kālā he lehuhelu a lehulehu ʻole. 

ʻO ia wahine nō ka piko o nā hui he kākini ma Hawaiʻi nāna e kū me he hui hōʻalo ahi lā me ka hoʻolaha ʻana aʻe i nā ʻike kekahi i kekahi i pili i nā pilikia ahi a e paipai i nā kumu waiwai no ka hōʻalo ahi ʻana. 

“Pono i nā kamaʻāina a me nā kaiāulu ke hana me ka ʻeleu ma mua o ke ahi no ka hoʻēmi ʻana i ka pāhiki e ʻā aku ai ia ahi,” wahi āna. 

Noʻonoʻo ʻo ia, pono kēlā ʻano hui he nui, no ka mea, hiki ke poina ʻia ka pilikia e kali kokoke ana e ke kanaka i hele a ʻoluʻolu, i loko nō o ka ʻoiaʻiʻo i mua pono o ke alo, e laʻa nā ahi ma Lāhainā. 

“Noʻu, ʻaʻole kēia he mea i hana he hoʻokahi manawa wale nō ma ke ʻano he pilikia ahi ʻāhiu,” wahi a Fitzgerald-McGowan, ka mea nāna e nānā i ka pae ʻāina no ka nūhou i pili i nā makani ʻino, nā ʻōlelo kilo pōʻino, a me ka wā maloʻo. 

Hana ʻo ia penei no kāna hana, a hana hoʻi ʻo ia penei ma muli o kona hopohopo i kona ʻohana. Noho kona mau mākua ma Waiʻanae, a kelepona pinepine aku lāua iā ia no ka hahaʻi ʻana iā ia nei e pili ana i ka ʻā ʻana o ke ahi i uka o ko lāua hale. Hoʻouna ʻia mai nā kiʻi e lāua ma ka wā e lapa nui ana ke ahi. 

“Ke hahaʻi mai lāua iaʻu, penei kaʻu nīnau, “Pehea ka mamao?’,” wahi āna, a laila, “e hoʻomākaukau pono i kāu mau mea, e akahele, e ʻimi i nā ʻōlelo hōʻike pōʻino ma ke kelepona, a e nānā pono,” wahi āna e hahaʻi aku ai iā lāua ala. 

Komo ʻo ia i ka pūnaewele no ke aʻo ʻana mai i ka nui o ka pilikia, a ʻo kona hahaʻi akula nō ia iā lāua ala i ka ʻikepili āna i ʻohiʻohi mai ai no ka hehi kūpono ʻana i mua. Hopohopo naʻe ʻo ia, ʻaʻole lāua e hoʻomaopopo ʻiʻo ana i ka nui o ka pilikia. 

“Mau nō koʻu hopohopo i kēia mea,” wahi āna. 

Inā he hopena maikaʻi ko kēia kūlana kaumaha loa, ʻo ia paha ka ʻike leʻa ʻana o nā kānaka i ka pilikia o ke ahi ʻāhiu a e hana mikimiki aku ana lākou i ka hana e hōʻalo ʻia ai ia ahi. 

Hiki i kekahi pōpilikia ke hōʻeuʻeu i ka hoʻomaopopo pono a e kiaʻi i nā kānaka ma kahi ʻē. ʻO kekahi laʻana, ʻo ia nō ka hopena maikaʻi ʻole i hana ʻia e ke ahi a Triangle Shirtwaist ma New York City, kahi i lele aʻe ai nā limahana he mau kākini a make loa ma ka makahiki 1911 ma o ko lākou ʻauheʻe ʻana i kekahi ahi nui e lapa ana ma kekahi hale hana kiʻekiʻe loa, a ʻo ia nō ka i hōʻeuʻeu i ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā kānāwai palekana ola, e laʻa nā wiliwiliwai ahi, nā ʻīpuka ʻauheʻe a me ka palena nui kānaka ma ka noho pū ʻana o nā kānaka i loko o ke kūkulu hoʻokahi. 

ʻO ka hoʻololi ʻia ʻana o nā kānāwai palekana ahi, na ia mea nō i hoʻopakele aku i nā ola he nui ma kēlā kenekulia aku nei, wahi a Valerie Marlowe, ka hope alakaʻi o ka waihona palapala kahiko ma ka Disaster Research Center o ka University of Delaware. 

“Lana ka manaʻo, ʻo ke ʻano a ka Triangle Fire i hoʻololi aku ai i nā mea ma ʻAmelika, pēlā ana nō paha kēia ahi e hana aku ai,” wahi a Marlowe, ka mea hoʻi nānā e hoʻohaliʻaliʻa i ka nani o Maui ma kona wā i kipa aku ai i laila i kekahi mau makahiki aku nei. “He hopena nui ko kēia ʻano hanana, a hiki hoʻi i ia ʻano hanana ke hoʻololi aku i nā mea me ka maikaʻi a hōʻoi aku i ka palekana ma Hawaiʻi.” 

ʻO kā Civil Beat kūkala nūhou ʻana i pili i ka hoʻohuli aniau, uku ʻia e ke Environmental Funders Group o ka Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, Marisla Fund o ka Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, a me ka Frost Family Foundation. 

Ua kākoʻo ʻia kēia papahana e ka ʻOhana o Harry Nathaniel, Levani Lipton, ka ʻOhana Mar, a me Lisa Kleissner.