--- title: Invasive Plants Brought by Colonists Worsened Maui Wildfires description: Fast-growing and quick to burn, multiple species of non-native, invasive grasses contributed to the devastation in Maui. canonical: https://time.com/6305735/invasive-plants-from-colonists-fueled-maui-wildfires/ author: Jeffrey Kluger article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-08-17T14:23:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:25:54.858Z article:section: Climate og:title: Invasive Plants Brought to Maui by Colonists Helped Fuel the Wildfires og:description: Fast-growing and quick to burn, multiple species of non-native, invasive grasses contributed to the devastation in Maui. og:url: https://time.com/6305735/invasive-plants-from-colonists-fueled-maui-wildfires/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399afdecbc468ec7/698a3f93096a94e5f26ae08f/MauiWildfires.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 8256 og:image:height: 4644 og:image:alt: TOPSHOT-US-FIRE-HAWAII og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Invasive Plants Brought to Maui by Colonists Helped Fuel the Wildfires twitter:description: Fast-growing and quick to burn, multiple species of non-native, invasive grasses contributed to the devastation in Maui. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399afdecbc468ec7/698a3f93096a94e5f26ae08f/MauiWildfires.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:38 video:published: 2023-08-17 section: world topics: Maui wildfires, emergency sirens, wireless emergency alerts, emergency alert system, death toll, tsunami warnings, land grab prevention, property tax waiver, disaster response, presidential visit genre: news report, press briefing tones: defensive, somber, explanatory, urgent emotions: grief (medium), concern (high), determination (medium) sentiment: negative audience: general news audience, Hawaii residents, emergency management professionals, policy observers people: Herman Andaya organizations: Maui Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency products: Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA), Emergency Alert System (EAS) content_suitability: disasters [00:00-02:38]; death [01:40-02:10]; tragedy [01:40-02:38]; financial distress [01:40-02:38]; politics [00:00-02:38] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Invasive Plants Brought to Maui by Colonists Helped Fuel the Wildfires > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=2b209696-3c5d-4551-9f2b-ff229a85d210&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Authorities Announce Maui Wildfires Death Toll Rises to 110 and Defend Not Using Sirens [Watch (HLS stream): Authorities Announce Maui Wildfires Death Toll Rises to 110 and Defend Not Using Sirens](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/v83MExIT.m3u8) (2:38)  _Published 2023-08-17. The head of the Maui's emergency agency said on Aug. 17 he had “no regret” that sirens weren't sounded to warn people about encroaching wildfires. Herman Andaya, Maui Emergency Management Agency administrator, defended not sounding the sirens during the fire._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary This video features officials explaining why outdoor sirens were not sounded during the Maui wildfires, citing a protocol of using the Wireless Emergency Alert System and Emergency Alert System instead. It describes how the sirens are used mainly for tsunamis and sit along the coastline. A second speaker reports a confirmed death toll of 110 and outlines measures to protect residents' land and finances. These include a moratorium on land transactions and a waiver of property taxes for the year. ## Key points - Internal protocol for wildland fires is to use the Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS); sirens have not been used for brush fires in Hawaii counties. (00:00) - The sirens are used primarily for tsunamis, which is why almost all are located along the coastline. (00:38) - The public is trained to seek higher ground when the siren sounds, and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency website provides the siren guideline. (00:48) - Officials feared sounding the siren would have sent people Mauka, toward the fire, and noted there are no sirens on the mountainside where the fire spread. (00:58) - 110 individuals have been confirmed deceased, and about 38% of the territory has been covered in the search. (01:40) - The Attorney General was instructed to work toward a moratorium on land transactions to prevent land grabs and predation against those suffering. (01:40) - The speaker says legal challenges to the moratorium will be pushed through so people do not lose their land. (02:10) - Property taxes for this year, on structures and land, are being waived, and taxes already paid will be refunded; the president is coming Monday. (02:27) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:38] Alert protocol for wildland fires. The speaker explains that the siren system has not been used for wildland fires and that WEA and EAS are the internal protocol. - [00:38 to 01:40] Why sirens were not sounded. The speaker explains the sirens' tsunami purpose, coastal placement, and the fear that sirens would send people toward the fire. - [01:40 to 02:15] Death toll and land protection. A second speaker reports 110 confirmed deaths and describes efforts to prevent land grabs through a transaction moratorium. - [02:15 to 02:38] Presidential visit and tax relief. The speaker announces the president's upcoming visit and the waiver and refund of property taxes. ## Key quotes - [00:00] Herman Andaya: "Counties in the state of Hawaii will tell you that sirens have not been used for brush fires." - [00:58] Herman Andaya: "Had we sounded the siren that night we were afraid that people would have gone Mauka And if that was the case then they would have gone into the fire" - [01:40] Unidentified speaker: "110 individuals have been confirmed deceased." - [01:40] Unidentified speaker: "My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab, that we do not suffer predation against those who are suffering." - [02:27] Unidentified speaker: "I'm authorizing waiving property taxes for this year. That includes structures as well as land." ## Questions this video answers - Why were the outdoor sirens not sounded during the Maui wildfire? [00:58] - What alert systems does the emergency agency use for wildland fires? [00:00] - What are the sirens primarily used for, and where are they located? [00:38] - How many people have been confirmed dead in the fire? [01:40] - What steps are being taken to prevent land grabs against affected residents? [01:40] - What tax relief is being offered to affected families? [02:27] ## Content suitability - disasters [00:00-02:38]: Discussion of the Maui wildfires, including emergency alert decisions and recovery measures. - death [01:40-02:10]: Reports 110 confirmed deaths from the fire. - tragedy [01:40-02:38]: References to the suffering of affected residents and destroyed homes. - financial distress [01:40-02:38]: Covers concerns about land grabs and the waiver and refund of property taxes for affected families. - politics [00:00-02:38]: Government officials defend emergency response decisions and announce policy measures and a presidential visit.  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Aug 17, 2023 2:23 PM UTC The head of the Maui's emergency agency said on Aug. 17 he had “no regret” that sirens weren't sounded to warn people about encroaching wildfires. Herman Andaya, Maui Emergency Management Agency administrator, defended not sounding the sirens during the fire.  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Aug 17, 2023 2:23 PM UTC There are a lot of things that have made the [Maui wildfires](https://time.com/6304795/photos-maui-fire-aftermath-climate-change-destruction-resilience/)—which [have so far claimed a confirmed 111 lives](https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/17/us/hawaii-maui-wildfires-death-toll-thursday/index.html)—so widespread and [deadly](https://time.com/6305113/maui-wildfire-cause-hawaii/): drought conditions that have prevailed in the state [since the end of May](https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx); [hurricane Dora](https://mauitimes.news/hurricane-dora-unleashes-chaos-on-maui-prompting-evacuations-amidst-fire-emergencies/), which lashed the islands with 45 mph winds; and [downed power lines](https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/08/hecos-fire-response-plan-lacked-a-critical-step-shutting-down-power/)—blown over by Dora’s gusts and [suspected](https://time.com/6305095/hawaiian-electric-wildfires-lawsuit/) of sparking local blazes. What’s gotten less attention—but likely played a significant role—is Hawaii’s large and spreading population of non-native, invasive grasses, which grow fast, burn easily, and are covering more and more of the island chain, with climate change partly to blame. The [Hawaii Invasive Species Council](https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/info/invasive-species-profiles/) lists no fewer than 79 non-native plants that were brought to the islands [as early as 1793](https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2017/12/08/nr17-193/#:~:text=Post%2Dcontact%20period%3A%20It%20wasn,gift%20for%20King%20Kamehameha%20I.), when Europeans, and later Americans, moved to the islands. The cattle that ranchers brought with them preferred the non-native grasses as food. Other immigrants brought other non-native species to be used for erosion prevention or decorative purposes. Of all of the invasive plants now thriving on the islands, the [U.S. Department of Agriculture](https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/pubs/rmrs%5Fgtr042%5F6/rmrs%5Fgtr042%5F6%5F225%5F242.pdf) points to 18 specifically that contribute to Hawaii’s wildfire risk, including buffel grass, molasses grass, and especially [guinea grass](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maui-wildfires-climate-change-drought-conditions/). This last one can grow an astonishing 6 in. in a day during the rainy season, and may reach a height of 10 ft. Non-native grasses and shrubs currently [grow on nearly 25%](https://bioone.org/journals/pacific-science/volume-69/issue-4/69.4.1/The-Contemporary-Scale-and-Context-of-Wildfire-in-Hawaii1/10.2984/69.4.1.short) of Hawaii’s surface area. Part of what makes them so pervasive and such a peril is their life-cycle. “They tend to dry out very early in the season,” says Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. “They also … decompose less quickly than other types of plants and so you wind up with a lot of dry, standing, dead plants and those can burn really easily.” Non-native grasses also tend to be both drought-tolerant—sprouting even when rainfall is scarce—and fire-adapted, quickly bouncing back after a blaze and taking advantage of the torched and empty land around them. That’s a bad combination. “They are the first things to regenerate after a fire,” says Lissa Strohecker, spokeswoman for the [Maui Invasive Species Committee](https://mauiinvasive.org/). “Native species’ seeds may be destroyed by fire, whereas invasive species’ seeds tend to survive; sometimes they’re even released by fire. If you’re the first plant to regrow in a cleared landscape, then you’ll have an advantage.” **Read more:** [_How to Help Those Affected by the Maui Wildfires_](https://time.com/6304099/maui-hawaii-wildfires-how-to-help/) It’s not fire alone that has exposed so much landscape to invasive plants in Hawaii. The island chain used to be home to a booming pineapple and sugar cane industry. But high local costs for land and labor led growers to move their operations out of Hawaii. The state’s last [pineapple plantation closed](https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/end-of-an-era-maui-land-pineapple-closing-its-pineapple-operations/) in 2009, with [sugar cane following](https://lookintohawaii.com/hawaii/45086/sugar-in-hawaii-information-all-islands-hi) in 2016\. The sprawling tracts of land they left behind have been largely untended since. Without humans managing that land, says Fleishman, plants can take over, and “non-native invasives are really good colonists.” “When you have an agricultural system, you often have a lot of active human management,” says Fleishman. “You have irrigation, you have people removing plants that are considered weeds. If those areas are no longer receiving that level of human attention, the plants that can colonize them are going to take advantage of that situation. Non-native invasives are really good colonists.” Non-native grasses and the fires they contribute to have been a problem in Hawaii for most of the [nearly 250 years](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/hawaii-history-and-heritage-4164590/) Europeans and Americans have been coming to—and living on—the islands. But in the era of climate change, things are clearly growing worse. “Many of these plants do pretty well in high temperatures,” says Fleishman. “Many of them do pretty well with dry conditions. In general, a lot of non-native plants are doing very well as the climate changes.” **_A version of this story also appears in the_** **Climate is Everything** **_newsletter. To sign up,_** [**_click here_**](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/newsletters/?newsletter%5Fname=climate&source=onsite)**_._** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6305735/invasive-plants-from-colonists-fueled-maui-wildfires/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6305735/invasive-plants-from-colonists-fueled-maui-wildfires/"},"headline":"Invasive Plants Brought to Maui by Colonists Helped Fuel the Wildfires","datePublished":"2023-08-17T14:23:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:25:54.858Z","description":"Fast-growing and quick to burn, multiple species of non-native, invasive grasses contributed to the devastation in Maui.","url":"https://time.com/6305735/invasive-plants-from-colonists-fueled-maui-wildfires/","keywords":["extreme weather","climate change","Explainer","healthscienceclimate","Climate Is Everything"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399afdecbc468ec7/698a3f93096a94e5f26ae08f/MauiWildfires.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jeffrey Kluger","jobTitle":"Editor at Large","url":"https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399afdecbc468ec7/698a3f93096a94e5f26ae08f/MauiWildfires.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TOPSHOT-US-FIRE-HAWAII","caption":"TOPSHOT-US-FIRE-HAWAII","creditText":"AFP via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/extreme-weather/","name":"extreme weather"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6305735/invasive-plants-from-colonists-fueled-maui-wildfires/","name":"Invasive Plants Brought to Maui by Colonists Helped Fuel the Wildfires"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Authorities Announce Maui Wildfires Death Toll Rises to 110 and Defend Not Using Sirens","description":"The head of the Maui's emergency agency said on Aug. 17 he had “no regret” that sirens weren't sounded to warn people about encroaching wildfires. 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