Climate-fueled Wildfires Take Toll on Tropical Pacific Isles

A metal roof sits atop the burned remains of a homestead on the once-lush slopes of Hawaii's Mauna Kea — a dormant volcano and the state's tallest peak — charred cars and motorcycles strewn about as wind-whipped sand and ash blast the scorched landscape.

Generations of Kumu Micah Kamohoalii's family have lived on these lands reserved for Native Hawaiians, and his cousin owns this house destroyed by the state's largest-ever wildfire. "I've never seen a fire this big," Kamohoalii said. "Waimea has had fires, many of them before and some maybe a few hundred acres, but not this size." The fire has burned more than 70 square miles (181 square kilometers) in the two weeks it has been going. But it wasn't the first time this area has burned and won't be the last. Like many islands in the Pacific, Hawaii's dry seasons are getting more extreme with climate change.