Latest Fire Recovery News

Following the impact of the Lahaina wildfires in August 2023, Maui Chocolate Tour will reopen its immersive cacao farm experience this month. Guests can once again enjoy a journey through the Maui Kuʻia Estate cacao farm and the largest chocolate factory in Hawaiʻi where tours are available daily.

US Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security overseeing funding responsibility over Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), called on the agency to broaden transitional housing support for the thousands displaced by the Lahaina wildfires last August.

More than 1,000 households and 4,000 individuals who were directly impacted by the wildfires have received housing, vehicle, utility, clothing and school supply assistance in the five months since the inception of the Maui fires relief program, according to Maui Economic Opportunity.

The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation and American Express have opened the Maui Small Business Recovery Grant Program, which supports Maui-based small businesses impacted by the devastating wildfires of August 2023.

A comprehensive timeline for the Aug. 8-9 Lahaina wildfire has been released by Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez. The Phase 1 report is the first of three to be completed as part of an independent investigation by the Fire Safety Research Institute.

The president of solar energy company Independent Energy, Desta Rudolph, has donated $50,000 to Project Empower, a nonprofit that has focused on helping Maui recover from deadly wildfires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, displacing thousands of residents. The donation will bolster the collective efforts of a number of organizations to build 88 units of emergency housing at the 10-acre ʻOhana Hope Village.

The County of Maui announced there will be no weekly Lahaina Disaster Recovery Community Update Meeting on Wednesday, April 17, due to County-sponsored events on Tuesday and Saturday this week.

The After-Action Report, produced by the Western Fire Chiefs Association, covers all four major fires that began on Aug. 8, 2023. More than 200 individuals were interviewed in the course of compiling the document which covers the period of Aug. 7-11, 2023. Recommendations include more apparatus and fire stations. It does not include information on the cause or origin of the fire, which is still under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Parties to cases involving the Lahaina wildfire disaster could see their first trial date as soon as Nov. 18, 2024 before Judge Peter Cahill. The date was set during a status conference held Friday before a room full of attorneys representing various interests in the case.

When Maui was hit by a devastating fire last August, the nation collectively grieved. For singer and songwriter Lily Meola, who was born and raised on Maui, the heartbreak ran deep. So, she did what she does best—poured her pain and feelings into song. Initially revealed in a rare live performance on her Instagram account, “Hope in the Ashes,” is now available everywhere you get your music with all proceeds from the song being donated to the Maui Food Bank.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) reviewed test results from multiple monitoring activities conducted by state agencies and community partners to confirm that the coastal waters around Lahaina are safe for ocean recreation. It is important to note that access is still restricted to certain coastal zones within the impacted area of Lahaina and these are not an option for ocean recreation at this time.

Lahaina homeowners impacted by the 2023 August wildfire are encouraged to attend the County of Maui Office of Recovery Homeowners Meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at Lahaina Civic Center.

ACE Scholarships, a nonprofit that works to expand access to K-12 education opportunities, is providing a $105,000 grant to help Sacred Hearts School in Lahaina to offset tuition costs for displaced families while they rebuild in the wake of the devastating Maui wildfires. 

The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation fuel system vendor for Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, is in the process of rebuilding the fire-damaged, above-ground portion of the fueling system at no cost to the state. It will probably three years before everything is finished. Until the harbor is out of the restricted zone, no one can reach it by land.

The 150-year-old Lahaina banyan tree continues to show signs of recovery, eight months after the Maui fires. In video provided by the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Duane Sparkman of the Lahaina Treecovery project provides an update, describes some of the challenges the iconic tree still faces, and talks about what lies ahead.  

Commercial operators, with permits, will again be able to use Māla Wharf seven days a week beginning Saturday April 13.

Maui United Way announced on Wednesday a new ʻOhana Mental Health Grant opportunity, offering 5 to 10 mental health grants of $50,000 to $100,000 each, for eligible nonprofits. The grants are aimed at supporting local nonprofits working to meet the ongoing mental health needs in the aftermath of the wildfires.

Eight months to the day after a wildfire swept through Lahaina town, Maui County Council members heard the anguish of residents struggling to recover from the disaster that claimed at least 101 lives and leveled their beloved historic town.

“For Lahaina to recover, thousands of homes will need to be rebuilt. Critical infrastructure will need to be restored. Businesses will need to get up and running again. And so Congress needs to step up and help,” said Sen. Schatz.

In a significant boost to aid Lahaina homeowners affected by last year’s wildfires, American Savings Bank (ASB) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB Des Moines) have announced an allocation of $400,000 to Hawaiʻi Community Lending through the FHLB Member Impact Fund.