Hawaii has a reputation of being the ultimate tropical paradise. Yet last week the islands were visited by an unexpected natural disaster – a devastating wildfire that ripped through the island of Maui and gutted the historic town of Lahaina. It was the deadliest fire in the US in more than a century.
The Guardian’s West Coast reporter, Dani Anguiano, has been at the scene speaking to terrified survivors – including a woman forced to shelter in the sea for 24 hours with her elderly mother. She explains why local people feel they are not getting the help they need.
With the death toll at more than 100 – and expected to rise – Nosheen Iqbal hears why the fires spread so quickly. And why the climate crisis, and changing farming practices, may explain why a tropical island is now so vulnerable to wildfires
Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA
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