VIDEO: Due to arid conditions, much of the undeveloped land in Kihei is overgrown with parched grass that has often become fodder for fires.
With the devastating wildfires nearly a year ago fresh on South Maui resident Gerard Gifford's mind, he does not want to take any chances.
Gifford lives in the Kihei Ali'i Kai complex off South Kihei Road near Rainbow Mall, right next to a vacant lot he calls a "major fire hazard."
The roughly four-acre property is blanketed with knee-high, withered grass and there are a few mounds of chopped trees scattered near the parcel's makai side.
"After Lahaina, it's scary. It's one of the those things where you know, you never know when an errant cigarette butt is going to start a fire. And when you look at the grounds here, it's very prone to that," Gifford said.