“I cried everyday feeling guilty I couldn’t break down the door to save them,” Finn’s owner, Danielle told the Maui Humane Society. Since Maui Humane Society has received access into the burn zone, the organization has brought back more than 90 animals to the shelter and have had more than 20 of those animals reunited with their families.

Captain Peter Gand and Firefighter III Cody Cordeiro knew Aug. 8 would be a busy day from the moment they woke up and drove over the ‘Pali’ section of the Honoapiʻilani Highway to work in Lahaina. “Half of my crew lost their houses in this fire. They knew that their houses were gone, and they just didn’t stop. They kept on going, pushing through and they didn’t hesitate throughout the night,” said Capt. Gand.

On Friday, 25 days after the Aug. 8 Lahaina fire caused unimaginable loss of life, vigils were held from sunrise to sunset on Maui and across the state to mourn all the people who died, including those whose names are not yet known.

Upcountry wildfire survivors discussed the loss of their homes and the unwavering support of community volunteers who came to their aid in the days following disastrous wildfires on Maui. “It only takes a spark to start a fire. Sometimes you just need that one little spark to get a response going, and the community has been the fuel for that,” said volunteer, Kyle Ellison.

“We can rebuild, and we’re going to rebuild. We’re going to be back. But we cannot bring people back, and that’s the tough part… Trying to cope with that part of life now. This is the normal, and this is hard to get used to. We’re trying to as people, but we just need all the support we can get at this point,” said Lahaina resident, Connor Mowat.

While West Maui and fire-affected parts of Kula remain no place for visitors — with teams still searching for remains from the Lahaina fire and the recovery in the early stages — the rest of the island was unharmed by the fires but now is reeling from the abrupt loss of tourists that is causing people to lose their jobs and businesses to struggle.

Maui Fire Department and responders from other agencies welcomed home the department member who was injured on Aug. 8, fighting the fire in Lahaina. He had spent the last two weeks in the hospital on Oʻahu.

Various local volunteers help community in Lahaina after fire disaster.

“I’m 82, and ‘Why rebuild?’ It will probably take at least two years, but with FEMA, with SBA and the immediate family—the ʻohana—that’s why I’m going to rebuild,” he said.

In the aftermath of the catastrophic wildfires that swept through Maui, a community-driven collaboration between Pacific Impact Zone, SMX, and the Maui Tech Hui worked to rapidly deploy satellite internet connectivity at key locations in West Maui.

President Joe Biden drew applause at the Lahaina Civic Center when he told about 400 survivors of the fire: “We’re gonna build back better. Better than you had. But what YOU want. What YOU need.”

Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura shares details regarding wildfire response to the deadly fire in Lahaina that started on Aug. 8, 2023.

With President Joe Biden scheduled to travel to Lahaina on Monday to meet with fire survivors and first responders, the president has been asked to consider visiting Maria Lanakila Catholic Church. The historic church established in 1846 survived the devastation of a wildfire that swept through historic Lahaina town Aug. 8-9. More than 2,000 buildings were destroyed.

When Lahainaluna High science teacher Jackie Ellis was fleeing deadly Lahaina wildfires last week, she never imagined a chance encounter at a stoplight would mean saving her former student’s life.