In the wake of the devastating fire that killed more than 100 people on the island of Maui in Hawaii, new details are coming out about what caused it. Now some experts say that invasive grasses – some of which also grow here in Florida, may have had a role in the fire spreading. 

More than half a world away, FGCU Plant Ecologist Brian Bovard watched the fires that consumed Lahaina on the Island of Maui with Horror, knowing all too well the cost of wildfires. 

“We can see ourselves in the exact same situation as the people in Maui, and it’s not just Hawaii; we’ve seen it in Canada all summer long. It’s happening worldwide,” Bovard said. 

But as more info about the devastating fire comes from Hawaii, a major contributing factor has come to light: invasive grasses, some of which are known to grow here in Florida as well. 

“But we get a lot of African grasses, and from Southeast Asia, those landscapes have burned historically as well,” Bovard added. 

Bovard explained it was dry invasive grasses like Buffel, Molasses and Guinea Grass that created a brush fire that later spread into town, something that even here in Florida can be difficult to manage.

“Because they are invasive oftentimes in small pockets, they are a challenge to manage, and there are budgetary limitations to our land managers to go out and control them,” he said. 

That’s not to say it’s not under control here, though. In Florida, land managers like Eric Foht at the Naples Botanical Gardens have embraced prescribed burns to consume fuel and avoid tragedy. 

“Because of Development, these areas are cut off from lightning-caused wildfires unless they strike right in the preserve, so as land managers, we know prescribed burns are one of the best things you can do,” Foht said. “Anytime an area is burned like this, all that fuel is gone, so if a lightning strike hit this preserve tonight, there would be nothing to burn; the fuel is used up.” 

And while a prescribed burn here might still produce some annoying smoke for neighbors, it can still make a difference in life or death in the long run. 

“I would rather, as a citizen of Southwest Florida, I would rather live with smoke for a day than the threat of losing my family or my neighbor’s family,” said Brian Bovard from FGCU.