It’s too soon to say what — if anything — could have stopped or softened the devastation in Maui. But experts like Kimiko Barrett say there are profound lessons in the historic fires for communities across the US, where far more dollars are spent putting out flames than preventing them.

More than a week after flames were first reported near Lahaina, hundreds of people are still missing, and the loss of life — now up to 111 — is expected to mount. Already, the Lahaina fire is the deadliest in the US in over a century. Much remains unknown about how this disaster occurred, including the source of ignition, the role of Hawaiian Electric Co.’s actions and the scope of the response by firefighters and other emergency services.