Devastating Hawaii fires made ‘much more dangerous’ by climate change

Global heating is causing vegetation to dry out, priming it as fuel for an outbreak of fire, says scientist at Nature Conservancy

The devastating fires in Hawaii, where at least 53 people have died after a conflagration that engulfed the historic town of Lahaina, were worsened by a number of factors including climate change, scientists have said.

Rising global temperatures and drought have helped turn parts of Hawaii into a tinderbox ahead of one of the deadliest fires in modern US history, with these conditions worsened by strong winds from a nearby cyclone.