Winfrey, a part-time Maui resident, warned that news crews will eventually depart from the destruction, and the world will move on. Before the blaze engulfed Lahaina, Maui County officials also failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population and instead relied on social media posts. Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the flames on Maui raced through parched brush. They also surpassed the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California that left 85 dead and destroyed the town of Paradise. Meanwhile, Hawaii officials urged tourists to avoid traveling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders.
