Wildfire on Maui kills at least 6, damages over 270 structures as it sweeps through historic town

[phkrause]

🌺 Hawaiian 'ohana spirt endures

Along the Lahaina Bypass, a Hawaiian flag is part of a tribute to wildfire victims. Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP 115 people perished — with more unaccounted for — and thousands of homes are gone after flames and smoke barreled from the hills and annihilated the historic town of Lahaina, Hawai'i. But even in places overwhelmed by despair and devastation, the family spirit known as 'ohana endures, AP's Bobby Caina Calvan, Jae C. Hong and Mike Householder report. 'Ohana is a sensibility, a way of thinking that means family, belonging, community and so much more — solace in a time of calamity. It's a unifying principle in an increasingly fragmented world. And in recent weeks, amid misfortune, the word has taken on profound importance in a place appealing for help. Bulletin board at King's Cathedral Maui in Kahului, Hawai'i. Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP Online fundraisers, many set up by displaced families, have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of it from distant places. One relief fund passed $1.2 million, with 6,400 donors from around the globe. Archie Kalepa, a surfing legend and revered member of Maui's Hawaiian Native community, urged his 'ohana to honor core values: "Love your family, take care of the land ... and you'll rebuild your community." How you can help.

[phkrause]

Bare electrical wire and leaning poles on Maui were possible cause of deadly fires

In the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows — those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/27/hawaii-wildfires-maui-electrical-wire-00113121?

[phkrause]

Maui's surf pros paddle out with kids from Lahaina for a healing surf session

Families on Maui are coping with terrible losses from wildfires. But this weekend, some of them came together to help their kids do something they love: go surfing.

https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/08/28/1196201174/mauis-surf-pros-paddle-out-with-kids-from-lahaina-for-a-healing-surf-session?

[phkrause]

Hawaii power utility takes responsibility for first fire on Maui, but faults county firefighters

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s electric utility acknowledged its power lines started a wildfire on Maui but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and leaving the scene, only to have a second wildfire break out nearby and become the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfires-maui-electricity-power-utilities-1741e22bbf955b62103db6b60f5c4853?

[phkrause]

Unclear how many in Lahaina lost lives as Hawaii authorities near the end of their search for dead

HONOLULU (AP) — Crews in Hawaii have all but finished searching for victims of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, authorities said Tuesday, and it is unclear how many people perished.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-maui-lahaina-fire-dead-missing-fb8592496f400e995266944ffb16a7e7?

[phkrause]

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch fund with $10 million for displaced Maui residents

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson have committed $10 million to make direct payments to people on Maui who are unable to return to their homes because of the wildfires, through a new fund they announced Thursday.

https://apnews.com/article/maui-wildfires-oprah-dwayne-johnson-donations-0e59c2e1dc06b8519c9b453c978ed1b9?

[phkrause]

Adventist Community Services Joins Relief Efforts in Hawaii After Maui Fire Destroys Most of Historic Lahaina

Church and civil organizations work together to aid victims of historic calamity.

https://adventist.news/news/adventist-community-services-joins-relief-efforts-in-hawaii-after-maui-fire-destroys-most-of-historic-lahaina

[phkrause]

Maui beckons tourists, and their dollars, to stave off economic disaster after wildfires So few tourists are coming to the Hawaiian island of Maui after last month's wildfires that restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers and unemployment is surging. State tourism officials, after initially urging travelers to stay away, are now asking them to come back, avoid the burn zone, spend money and help Maui recover. Read more.

Why this matters: Residents are worrying about a full-blown economic catastrophe in the wake of the Lahaina wildfires that destroyed homes and killed at least 115 people.   Airlines are offering steep discounts, while some resorts have slashed room rates by 20% or are offering a fifth night free. The number of visitors arriving on Maui sank by about 70% after the Aug. 8 fire. Nearly 8,000 people filed for unemployment on Maui during the last three weeks of August, compared with 295 during the same period in 2022.   Hawaii’s leaders and Hollywood celebrities have switched from warning people away from the island to beckoning them. Actor and native Hawaiian Jason Momoa recently advised his 17 million Instagram followers: “Maui is open. Lahaina is closed.”

Related coverage ➤  Things to know about aid, lawsuits and tourism nearly a month after fire leveled a Hawaii community Aerosmith singer and Maui homeowner Steven Tyler urges tourists to return to the island Lawyers claim cable TV and phone companies are also responsible in Maui fires

[phkrause]

Death toll from Maui wildfires drops to 97, Hawaii governor says

The death toll from last month's Maui wildfires has dropped from at least 115 to 97 people, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced Friday.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lahaina-death-toll-maui-wildfires-drops-hawaii-governor-josh-green/?

[phkrause]

Residents prepare to return to sites of homes demolished in Lahaina wildfire 7 weeks ago

HONOLULU (AP) — From just outside the burn zone in Lahaina, Jes Claydon can see the ruins of the rental home where she lived for 13 years and raised three children. Little remains recognizable beyond the jars of sea glass that stood outside the front door.

https://apnews.com/article/maui-lahaina-wildfire-return-home-9de9c29fb633c9aaba618ad066af998c?

[phkrause]

First of thousands of Lahaina residents return to homes destroyed by deadly wildfire

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The first of thousands of residents who lost their homes in the wildfire that destroyed the Hawaii town of Lahaina returned to their devastated properties Monday, with some stopping for a moment of reflection and others searching for mementos among the ruins.

https://apnews.com/article/maui-lahaina-wildfire-return-home-c5f6f108afc9432d66edf34a4976d48f?

[phkrause]

An old car tire, burnt trees and a utility pole may be key in finding how the Maui wildfire spread

Melted remains of an old car tire. Heavily burned trees. A charred stump of an abandoned utility pole.

https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-maui-hawaii-electricity-utility-investigation-d9e1e84d5cc643d6bb2a2e362fe58ba0?

[phkrause]

Many questions but few answers in congressional hearing on Maui’s wildfire and electric provider

Lawmakers probing the cause of last month’s deadly Maui wildfire did not get many answers during Thursday’s congressional hearing on the role the electrical grid played in the disaster.

https://apnews.com/article/lahaina-wildfire-hawaii-electric-heco-investigation-congress-cbd21597b63c74660210c552e833bdab?

[phkrause]

Lahaina residents deliver petition asking Hawaii governor to delay tourism reopening

HONOLULU (AP) — Residents from fire-stricken Lahaina on Tuesday delivered a petition asking Hawaii Gov. Josh Green to delay plans to reopen a portion of West Maui to tourism starting this weekend, saying the grieving community is not ready to welcome back visitors.

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-maui-lahaina-wildfire-tourists-875e9113c6af7aa8d3d563093e5f920c?

[phkrause]

Tourism resumes in West Maui near Lahaina as hotels and timeshare properties welcome visitors

HONOLULU (AP) — The area around the Maui town largely destroyed by wildfire two months ago began welcoming back travelers on Sunday after the mayor and Hawaii’s governor pushed ahead to restart tourism to boost the economy despite opposition from some Lahaina residents.

https://apnews.com/article/maui-lahaina-wildfire-tourism-hawaii-d66e6528b8c61203a3110214869314ce?

[phkrause]

The trees arrived with Polynesian voyagers. After Maui wildfire, there’s a chance to restore them

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — For people around the world, the green leaves that sprouted from a scorched, 150-year-old banyan tree in the heart of devastated Lahaina symbolized hope following Maui’s deadly wildfire this summer. Teams rushed to flood its roots with water, hoping to save a magnificent tree that had provided shade for community events, a picturesque wedding venue and a popular backdrop for posing tourists.

https://apnews.com/article/lahaina-hawaii-maui-trees-wildfire-c35dd1e9fd63af23ca63a6eeb631c1d7?

[phkrause]

Maui residents wonder if their burned town can be made safe. The answer? No one knows

When Daniel Skousen scrubs at the ash and soot covering his Maui home, he worries about the smell.

https://apnews.com/article/lahaina-maui-wildfires-safety-health-ash-20caacae75766e700d10c6fa3da9de1c?

[phkrause]

Heart of Hawaii’s historic Lahaina, scene of deadly wildfire, reopens to residents after 4 months

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The heart of Lahaina, the historic town on the Hawaiian island of Maui that burned in a deadly wildfire that killed at least 100 people, is reopening to residents and business owners holding day passes.

https://apnews.com/article/maui-lahaina-burn-zone-reopening-banyan-tree-f810333843c26e906a6d6442047aea79?

[phkrause]

Takeaways from this week’s reports on the deadly 2023 Maui fire Over six months after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century burned through a historic Maui town, officials are still trying to determine exactly what went wrong and how to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. But two reports released this week are filling in some of the blanks. Read more.

Key points: Communication was a struggle amid the chaos. The report described a communications breakdown between police, firefighters and other emergency officials. Cellular networks were down, and the police and fire agencies used separate channels that public officials and others couldn’t listen to. Residents and tourists also could not get emergency alerts or communicate with loved ones, and 911 operators were inundated with calls.   The fire was swift and unrelenting, and the escape routes were few. Roads that weren’t blocked by trees or powerlines became jammed with traffic. But the time people had to escape would have been tight even if the roads were clear: Within 90 minutes, spot fires were burning all the way to the ocean and spreading, according to one report.   Resources were scattered and stretched thin. Firefighters risked their lives saving victims but many of the department’s crews were already deployed to fight other wildfires on a different part of the island when Lahaina began to burn. The back-up fire engines used in emergencies weren’t fully stocked, and valuable minutes were lost restocking.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Communications breakdown left authorities in the dark and residents without alerts amid Maui fire   Maui Fire Department report on deadly wildfire details need for more equipment and mutual aid plans   US wildfires are getting bigger and more complex, prompting changes in firefighting workforce

[phkrause]

🌺 Sara's story: Why we're not going to Maui

Spotted in Kanapali, Hawai'i. Photo: Marco Garcia/AP Sara Kehaulani Goo, executive editor of Axios Live, is part Native Hawaiian, and her family is from Maui. She writes: This summer, I'm taking my husband and kids back to our family roots in Hawai'i. But we won't be visiting the island of Maui. Why it matters: If we visited Maui, we'd need a place to stay — most likely a condo or home rental for our family of five. But Maui needs all its housing for locals, not visitors like me. The Maui wildfires in August killed 101 people and destroyed homes for more than 6,000 residents, most of whom still haven't resettled somewhere permanent. More than 1,500 people whose homes were burned down have left Maui for lack of housing, according to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. The critical lack of affordable housing — which many U.S. communities experience — is exacerbated in Hawai'i, where local people compete with the world's billionaires, who are gobbling up acreage. Since the fire, the median home price on Maui has increased to $1.3 million. The average resident who works at the hotel or local school can't come anywhere close to affording that. There's plenty of housing on Maui. It's just mostly owned by people who don't live there. And it's being rented out to vacationers who can afford the $500/night prices. The bottom line: Maui still needs tourism to keep its local economy strong. But as much as I'd love to visit my aunties, uncles and cousins — some of whom saw the flames get dangerously close to their house — I can't stomach using a short-term rental right now.