Soldiers and airmen assist Maui County and state officials in search and recovery efforts in Lāhainā on Aug. 10, 2023, following a devastating wildfire two days prior. Photo by National Guard Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson The Maui Police Department released the names of eight more fatalities in the Aug. 8 Lāhainā wildfire Tuesdays. Seven of the individuals were from Lāhainā, while the eighth was from California, according to the Maui Police Department. The Lāhainā residents were Clyde Wakida, 74; Todd Yamafuji, 68; Antonia Molina, 64; Freeman Tam Lung, 59; Joseph Schilling, 67; Narciso Baylosis ..read more

Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin meeting President Joe Biden during his Aug. 21, 2023 visit to Lahaina. Photo courtesy Councilmember Paltin’s Facebook page.   Dozens of residents testified Tuesday at the first Maui County Council meeting held since the Aug. 8 wildfire that devastated Lāhainā Town. On the agenda was a non-binding resolution calling for a recovery and resiliency plan for West Maui following the Lāhainā fire, now considered the deadliest fire in U.S. history in the last century. Though no action was taken on the resolution at the Aug. 22 council meeting, Council Chair ..read more

Maui County has taken preventative measures to keep potentially toxic stormwater runoff from entering waters off the coast of Lāhainā following the Aug. 8 wildfire that devastated the historic town. Photo courtesy Hawaiʻi DLNR   Maui residents have been manifesting rain, but this actually may be harmful to the waters surrounding Lāhainā. On Aug. 8, a wildfire damaged or destroyed most of the town, including more than 2,200 structures — 86% of which were residential. In the midst of hurricane season, there is concern over potentially toxic sediment runoff, which naturally occurs after heav ..read more

Service members assist Maui County first responders in search and recovery operations in Lāhainā Town. Photo: National Guard Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson   The Maui Police released the name of two more fatalities in the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire Monday. Both individuals were Lahaina residents. The individuals are Douglas Gloege, 59, and Juan Deleon, 45, according to the Maui Police Department. Police released no further information about the fatalities. The total number of confirmed fatalities from the Aug. 8 fire has also risen to 115, according to the MPD. Police have so far identified and ..read more

Photo: Coolcaesar/Wikipedia   Two West Maui residents filed suit Monday against state water officials, alleging that they removed a deputy water official following the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire without adhering to the Hawaii’s Sunshine Law, according to the complaint. One of the residents’ attorneys has also alleged that a state water official improperly suspended in-stream flow standards at the behest of a powerful land developer. The complaint was filed in Hawaii’s First Circuit Court on Aug. 21. The six-page complaint lists two plaintiffs, West Maui residents Kekai Keahi and Jennifer Kamaho ..read more

Jaime Kanani Green, Governor Josh Green, President Joe Biden and Jill Biden survey the devastation in Lāhainā Town, Aug. 21. 2023. Photo courtesy Josh Green   Standing near the historic banyan tree in the ruins of Lāhainā Monday, President Joe Biden promised that Maui would get “whatever you need” to rebuild and recover following the devastating Aug. 8 wildfire that destroyed much of the town. Biden, and other federal, state and local officials, repeatedly referred to the 150-year-old banyan while speaking about recovery efforts. Biden called the tree “a powerful symbol” in a town where t ..read more

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen provided an update on the number of missing persons following the Aug. 8 wildfires. Photo courtesy County of Maui / Facebook   Nearly two weeks after the deadly Aug. 8 wildfire that devastated much of Lāhainā, there are still 850 people still unaccounted for, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen announced in a brief video posted Sunday night on the county’s social media channels. This number is less than that previously reported by Governor Josh Green, who last week said there were more than 1,000 individuals who were still missing. Bissen said that the number ..read more

Service members search Lāhainā Town following the devastating Aug. 8 fire. Photo by National Guard Master Sgt. Andrew Jackson   Maui Police have identified five more individuals who died in the Aug. 8 Lāhainā fire, the department announced Sunday night. All five are Lāhainā residents. The individuals are Conchita Sagudang, 75, Danilo Sagudang, 55, Rodolfo Rocutan, 76, Jonathan Somaoang, 76 and Angelita Vasquez, 88. The Maui Police Department has so far notified 11 families of individuals who died in the Aug. 8 Lāhainā fire, according to the department. All have been Lāhainā residents ..read more

Westin Maui Resort in Kāʻanapali, currently being used as a temporary shelter for people displaced by the Aug. 8 Lāhainā fire. Photo: dronepicr/Wikimedia Commons   The number of individuals displaced by wildfires still staying in county shelters has significantly dwindled as residents move into temporary housing in hotels, county officials said Sunday. The American Red Cross reported that just 16 individuals are still staying in the shelters at War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kahului and the South Maui Community Park Gymnasium in Kihei ..read more

Airport Rescue and Fire Fighters Truck R54 from Kahului Airport assisting Maui County Fire Firefighters in battling Upcountry fires. Photo courtesy Maui County Fire Department Instagram Page   Because there are so many fires burning simultaneously around Maui, a variety of fire departments and agencies have joined in the fight, specifically to assist with the Upcountry blazes, according to the Maui County Fire Department. The Upcountry fires, initially reported as a single blaze, are now being treated as two distinct fires in Olinda and Kula, according to county officials. Both now involv ..read more