On Tuesday, August 8th, an extreme fire took over the beautiful town of Lahaina, burning over 2,000 acres. More than 2,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, with over 3,000 damaged by fire and/or smoke. The Lahaina fire is about 90% contained, as of August 22. There are also two other fires including the Olinda fire which is about 85% contained with 1,000 acres burned and the Kula fire which is about 85% contained with 200 acres burned. This has caused more than 5 billion dollars in insured property losses. This historic town has been burned into rubble and ashes. The fire moved extremely quickly causing 17 people to run into the ocean where they were later rescued. 115 people have been confirmed dead with the number rising as authorities continue to look. There are reportedly over 700 people missing. They will continue to search and try to identify the remains of those who have passed. It could be weeks before officials know the exact death toll.
Lahaina is a town extending about two miles on the northwest coast of Maui, Hawaii. Back in the 1800s, it was chosen as the royal capital and remained that way until 1845, when Honolulu took its place. Lahaina was initially a small fishing village with pineapple canning and sugar refining as its main economic centerpieces. It is one of the driest places in Hawaii due to it being in the rain shadow of the West Maui Mountains. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population is around 12,700. It also consists of the popular beach resorts in Kapalua and Kaanapali, that many visit all year.
Lahaina town in Lahaina was extremely popular and visited. It’s known for its downtown vibe right next to the ocean. It consisted of amazing restaurants and bars, ice cream and sweet shops, fun trinket shops, awesome art galleries, and shops with cool crafts. They even had art night some evenings with special events and the artists themselves! Lahaina also housed the primary harbor in West Maui. Here a lot of fishing, snorkeling, and tours happen.
Adding to this tragedy are the controversies that have arisen. Residents whose homes have been burned have reported that they are receiving solicitations from real estate investors trying to quickly buy up their land. Experts are characterizing this as predatory, given the devastation that they have just gone through. A resident of Maui, Goldean Lowe, explains she has been solicited by five different companies trying to buy her house. She explains how she felt “dismayed and disturbed,” by the tone of the emails that came shortly after the fires. In addition, Maui County officials are blaming Hawaii’s largest electric utility claiming that there has been intentional and malicious mismanagement of power lines that caused flames to spark. They accused the utility, Hawaiian Electric, of not responding to weather reports on the day of the fires and had still chosen not to de-energize their power lines. The ignition source has not been officially confirmed as of yet.
There are many ways people can and have been helping to aid the island of Maui, including GoFundMe’s and donating to groups like the Hawaii Community Foundation, Maui Food Bank, Maui United Way, and many more. With Maui being one of the most loved destinations for vacationers, the hope is that the Aloha spirit will help encourage the giving of resources for locals to rebuild. The Scroll hopes that the beautiful community can heal from this tragedy.
