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SunSeeker

(54,070 posts)
Wed Aug 23, 2023, 05:32 AM Aug 2023

In deadly Maui fires, many had no warning and no way out. Those who dodged barricades survived

As flames tore through a West Maui neighborhood, car after car of fleeing residents headed for the only paved road out of town in a desperate race for safety.

And car after car was turned back toward the rapidly spreading wildfire by a barricade blocking access to Highway 30.

One family swerved around the barricade and was safe in a nearby town 48 minutes later, another drove their 4-wheel-drive car down a dirt road to escape. One man took an dirt road uphill, climbing above the fire and watching as Lahaina burned. He later picked his way through the flames, smoke and rubble to pull survivors to safety.

But dozens of others found themselves caught in a hellscape, their cars jammed together on a narrow road, surrounded by flames on three sides and the rocky ocean waves on the fourth. Some died in their cars, while others tried to run for safety.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-fires-timeline-maui-lahaina-road-block-c8522222f6de587bd14b2da0020c40e9?user_email=af4a3b628578e24fe3cc001524281964ec2742242ba6399b7768d46e524c3cce&utm_medium=Morning_Wire&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=Morning%20Wire_23%20August_2023&utm_content=B&utm_term=Morning%20Wire%20Subscribers

( Good interactive timeliness and recap of the fire at the link, along with stories of what people did to manage to survive. Good lesson for future disasters. )

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In deadly Maui fires, many had no warning and no way out. Those who dodged barricades survived (Original Post) SunSeeker Aug 2023 OP
Why were the exit routes barricaded? Irish_Dem Aug 2023 #1
To steer people away from downed power lines. nt SunSeeker Aug 2023 #2
So you could get burned to death or electrocuted. Irish_Dem Aug 2023 #3
Bookmarking to read later Sedona Aug 2023 #4
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