Maui firefighters took lunch as Lahaina blaze seemed dead. Then it grew.

Timothy Ingalsbee, a fire ecologist who is executive director of the education and advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology, said Maui firefighters appeared to have followed standard operating procedures.

“It’s not unreasonable that they would disengage from that fire that they thought was fully contained and controlled,” he said. “When you’ve got running flames elsewhere on the island and you’ve got a crew that’s been working hard and needs to get a bit of rest before facing more obvious fire risks, it’s understandable.”