The death toll from Maui’s wildfires grew to 55 on Thursday, officials said, the fast-moving firestorm reduced the vacation town of Lahaina to smoldering ruins.
At least three big fires broke out Tuesday night on the island that is part of the United States state of Hawaii, shutting off the western side of the island and the historic city of Lahaina, where more than 270 structures were destroyed or damaged.
When wildfires create smoky conditions, everyone should limit their exposure to smoke. The smoke from a wildfire hurts your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It can make it difficult to breathe and cause you to cough or wheeze. Children, those with asthma, COPD, heart disease, or who are pregnant, should exercise extreme caution when breathing wildfire smoke.
How to stay safe during a wildfire
1. Keep smoke outside
Choose a room that can be closed off from the outside world. Install a portable air cleaner or a filter to keep the air in this room clean even when the rest of the building and outside are smokey. Never leave a do-it-yourself box fan filtration unit unattended.
2. Reduce your smoke exposure by wearing a respirator
A respirator is a mask that fits snugly over your face and filters out smoke before you inhale it. Wear the appropriate respirator and wear it correctly [PDF – 2.7 MB]. Children over the age of two can use respirators and masks. However, NIOSH-approved respirators are not available in sizes appropriate for extremely young children. If you have heart or lung issues, see your doctor to see if wearing a respirator is safe for you. Avoid using candles, gas, propane, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, or aerosol sprays, as well as frying or broiling meat, smoking tobacco products, and vacuuming. If you have a central air conditioning system, use high-efficiency filters to capture fine particles from smoke. If your system has a fresh air intake, set the system to recirculate mode or close the outdoor intake damper.
3. Pets and other animals can be affected by wildfire smoke too
Discover how to safeguard your pets and livestock. Animals are not permitted in some evacuation centres. For information on local animal shelters and rescue groups, visit Petfinder’s Shelter Center or RedRover.
4. Evacuate safely
You may be asked by public authorities to evacuate, or you may decide to evacuate. Read about how to evacuate safely and how to develop a family disaster plan, including:
- Finding out what could happen to you
- Making a disaster plan
- Completing the checklist
- Practicing your plan
5. Keep track of fires near you
- AirNow’s “Fire and Smoke Map” has a map of fires throughout North America.
- NOAA’s “Fire Weather Outlook” page maps fire watches and warnings.
- Listen to the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather Radio for emergency alerts.