Ongoing coverage of the 2023 wildfires that destroyed much of Lahaina and burned for weeks in Upcountry Maui. We are closely following the fires’ aftermath including efforts to rebuild and consequences for the entire state.
Local leaders say they were caught by surprise because the scale of Tuesday’s fire was unprecedented. But the warning has been sounded for years.
Officials estimated that some 1,000 were unaccounted for, 1,700 buildings burned and 2,000 people were in shelters as the Lahaina wildfire continued to burn.
The Hawaii utility has acknowledged the growing danger of wildfires and made some changes. But lawsuits are already pointing to the live power lines as a cause in Maui.
But the investment required to properly mitigate fire risk across Hawaii has been slow to come.
Officials have not publicly commented on the response time to the Lahaina fire, but residents are starting to demand answers.
Property tax payments are due on Aug. 21 but county officials haven’t said what their plan is for residents and businesses whose property is gone.
MEMA hasn’t participated in media updates, and officials haven’t offered specifics on what happened leading up to the deadly blaze.
Herman Andaya lacked formal experience in emergency response but beat out 40 other applicants for the job and says he was prepared.
A dispute over whether DLNR balked at releasing water to land owners played out in an exchange of angry letters in the days after the fire.
Loved ones are frantically looking for residents of Hale Mahaolu Eono who remain unaccounted for.
The Maui Emergency Management Agency didn’t see the sirens as a viable tool to warn Lahaina’s people about the incoming blaze.
The company faces scrutiny for not shutting down the power prior to the fire. Lawyers have wasted no time filing lawsuits.
Herman Andaya faced a mountain of criticism for his agency’s decision not to activate sirens that could have saved lives.
Sandwich Isles Communications had already buried miles of lines and is in position to extend service to other companies.
Maui’s former top emergency personnel nonetheless insisted the sirens weren’t a viable response.
The historic structure on Front Street is the last house standing in a neighborhood reduced to rubble.
The average annual investment is about $2 per Hawaii resident, far short of what other fire-prone states spend per capita.
Reporters from outside the state can throw elbows in ways that do not play well in Hawaii — and maybe both sides have a point.
Losing important documents is a real problem while fear and mistrust of government agencies has inhibited some from seeking aid, experts say.
In the absence of formal evacuation efforts, friends and neighbors tried to save seniors from the fire. Some succeeded. Others could not.
Emergency preparedness plans identified West Maui as high risk. Under an inexperienced emergency manager, the plans didn’t translate into action.
Local businesses struggle to cope as visitor spending drops $15 million per day, economists say.
The company now says its power lines were de-energized prior to the destructive afternoon fire that tore through town.
The state’s ag industry mobilized to provide aid and the state bought feed, but ranchers need rain to grow grass soon.
Angus McKelvey was one of the thousands who lost their homes in the deadly fire. He’s been working ever since to help other survivors.
UPDATED: Tiare Lawrence, a Native Hawaiian organizer and activist from Maui, will help dole out the money along with other Lahaina residents.
The Maui mayor’s office prepared an application for a fire mitigation grant for West Maui, but gave up on the effort last year after FEMA objected to the county proposal.
Instead, Hawaii has a relatively powerless State Fire Council. But fire agencies want that to change.
Mayor Richard Bissen spoke to the public in a scripted video address but is not returning calls seeking details and clarification.
The effort to identify who is truly missing after the Lahaina fire is a massive undertaking that has shifted numerous times, leaving many families exhausted.
Fire officials and landowners have known for years about gaps in Hawaii’s firebreaks and fuelbreaks. The problem boils down to money and cooperation.
Grass from East Indian sugarcane to African Guinea grass have been introduced to Hawaii for centuries, predating the state’s increased risk of wildfire.
Money raised for direct relief could end up being used for political candidates and activities.
Those who fled the fire by car tell of being blocked or funneled into narrow gridlocked streets. The county has not said when it will release a detailed report on what happened.
A quick realization that the normal rules no longer applied and a sense of immediacy led some to safety.
They have much else to contend with, but when the government does not provide information, people come up with more sinister narratives.
High winds and the power failure caused many businesses in Lahaina to shut down the day of the fire, which reduced visitors and foot traffic on the streets of the town
The Lahaina Fire Fund was never a registered nonprofit yet collected hundreds of thousands of dollars through online donation sites.
Wearing red t-shirts and baseball caps, thousands of fans and fire survivors packed Maui’s War Memorial Stadium for Lahainaluna High School’s first game of the season.
We are staffing up on Maui and creating a permanent bureau that will remain deeply committed to the community and all it faces going forward.
Regulation is heavily focused on buildings when counties must decide where to put dwindling resources.
A longstanding project to convert the alternate path into a paved trail and evacuation route has been stuck in “perpetual planning.”
The Environmental Protection Agency is awaiting county approval to deploy Soiltac, a dust suppressant with glue-like qualities that the agency says is safe to use.
Cheeseburger in Paradise was a top revenue producer for Maui for decades but its owners have decided not to try to reopen. Other firms are making the same decision.
The state says it has no “after action review” of the earlier blaze and if Maui County ever completed its version, it was never widely disseminated.
Community criticism about a lack of emergency alerts, sirens and fire prevention didn’t make it into the report.
Officers try to mobilize people to leave and cope with a rapidly changing scene. One officer watches his own house burn.
The Public Utilities Commission is required by law to conduct an investigation after a utility accident causing loss of life.
Rebuilding the water system is likely to cost tens of millions of dollars and could be a limiting factor in rebuilding the town.
A small team did their best to juggle a wave of calls and radio transmissions simultaneously. Despite their best efforts, many callers’ questions went unanswered.
The struggles and triumphs of California communities rebuilding after wildfires offer a glimpse of what may lie ahead for Lahaina.
Paul Sau-Ki Cheng says he was exonerated of his financial crimes in the 1980s. The public record does not show that.
The severely degraded island has undergone two decades of restoration work after years of overgrazing, bombing and burning. That endeavor could help guide efforts to control runoff and replant thousands of scorched acres.
Ron Proctor has donned the red suit for 25 years. He lost everything in the Aug. 8 wildfires, except his Christmas spirit.
Readers have asked Civil Beat to follow where donated monies are going.
A sampling of some of the photos taken since the day after the wildfires tell the story of what has transpired since Aug. 8.
Heavy Asian and Latino populations, a large number of residents born overseas and fewer Native Hawaiians than elsewhere gave the historic town a distinct profile, a new report shows.
A third of the fire’s victims died on a narrow dead-end street in central Lahaina, unable to access an alternative route to safety.
FEMA has secured about 1,500 properties for long-term housing for fire victims but only about a third are in West Maui.
The Maui Police Department was able to quickly bring in the latest DNA technology so a new squad could soon give names to the dead.
The Hawaii Senate unanimously passed a bill to turn over much of West Maui to the Hawaii Community Development Authority, despite growing opposition to the idea.
For Sarah and Alfie Pecson, the best insurance turned out to be the relationships built long before disaster struck.
