After Maui, Hawaii lawmakers budget funds for firefighting equipment and a state fire marshal

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers on Wednesday appropriated funds for more firefighting equipment and a state fire marshal after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century ripped through the historic Maui town of Lahaina and exposed shortcomings in the state’s readiness for such flames.

The House and Senate passed the measures during their first legislative session since the Aug. 8 wildfire killed 101 people. They now go to Gov. Josh Green for his consideration.

Climate change has been boosting drought in Hawaii, drying the archipelago’s vegetation and increasing the risks of destructive blazes. Wildfires were once rare in Hawaii but they have grown in frequency in recent years.

Last year, just months after the Maui blaze, a wildfire burned a large part of the Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Honolulu.

“I think that the biggest game changer is now, Hawaii is viewed as a wildfire state,” Rep. Kyle Yamashita, the chairperson of the House Finance Committee, told reporters after the bills passed. “So we have to change our policies and procedures and what our departments have to do to mitigate some of the fuel and those kind of different things.”

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