#maui wildfire

Hawaiian Community Assets, a statewide nonprofit housing counseling agency, announced that the first four Wailuku homes offered through its Ua Hale Aʻela program for Maui wildfire survivors will be available for occupancy beginning Aug. 28, 2026. 

While usually held the first Wednesday of each month, the Lahaina Community Meeting for August was moved to the following week out of respect for the three-year mark of the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires.

County of Maui officials, project partners and community members gathered Thursday, July 30, 2026, to mark the groundbreaking and blessing ceremony for the Lahaina Recreation Center playground, a highly anticipated project that symbolizes hope, renewal and resilience for the West Maui community.

The County of Maui Office of Recovery will be hosting a Meet Our General Contractor Open House on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Office of Recovery’s Lahaina Resource Center, Lahaina Gateway, 325 Keawe St., Suite B102.

Lahaina Homecoming, a new, three-day celebration focused on healing, reconnection and hope, will kick off July 17-19, 2026, to welcome home 103 former Lahaina residents while inviting the public to help recognize Lahaina’s enduring spirit.

“Today’s blessing builds on the significant progress already made in Lahaina’s recovery,” Mayor Richard Bissen said. “From clearing more than 1,500 properties and restoring essential infrastructure to engaging the community, developing recovery plans and creating a clear path for businesses to rebuild, each milestone has brought us closer to restoring Lahaina’s commercial heart.”

State House District 14 candidate Sne Patel announced that he has earned the endorsement of the Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters, marking additional labor support for his campaign. 

Maui Behavioral Health Resources, in collaboration with Ka La‘i Ola and Lau Kanaka, welcomed families and residents impacted by the Lahaina wildfires to an evening of connection, culture, and fun during the community’s recent Paniolo Night event.

Hawai‘i’s nominal personal income had a substantial increase of $12.9 billion or 12.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the same quarter of 2024. The Bureau of Economic Analysis notes that this unusual increase was due to a settlement paid to households in the fourth quarter of 2025 to compensate for losses related to the 2023 Maui Wildfire.

The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA) will undergo a leadership transition on July 1, 2026, as Administrator James Barros steps down from his role and David Lopez assumes responsibility for the agency’s day-to-day operations as the new HIEMA administrator.

Lahaina Homecoming, a three-day gathering of community, culture and connection, will take place July 17-19, 2026, along Front Street in Lahaina, the County of Maui Office of Recovery announced.

United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Daylyn Harris, 35, of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, was sentenced on June 5, 2026, to 24 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with false claims he submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency seeking disaster relief related to the Lahaina and Pacific Palisades wildfire disasters, as well as a separate obstruction of justice charge. Harris was also ordered to pay $60,458 in restitution to FEMA.

Gov. Josh Green welcomed a court ruling that limits attorney fees in Maui wildfire settlement claims, calling the decision an important step toward ensuring more recovery funds reach survivors and families directly impacted by the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires.

Atlantis Submarines Maui is once again showcasing the undersea beauty off the coast of West Maui, having restarted with tours offered five days a week from Lahaina Harbor, its home port for operations since 1991.

As part of their quarterly “Manaʻo on the Mountain” Community Potluck series, the community-led nonprofit Mālama Kula will host Rose Medeiros on June 1 for a talk on the history of Holy Ghost Church, Waiakoa, and stories from Kula throughout the years.

West Maui nonprofit Mana Mentors is celebrating a standout first season for its Lahaina Youth Surf Team, with several young athletes capturing top finishes at Duke’s Legends of the Bay and the Hawaiʻi Surfing Association State Championships.

PacWhale Eco-Adventures, the social enterprise of Pacific Whale Foundation, will resume ocean operations from Lahaina Harbor beginning June 1, 2026, marking a meaningful milestone in Maui’s ongoing recovery following the 2023 wildfires.

A Detox and Wellness Workshop aimed at supporting recovery after the Lahaina wildfires will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. registration opens at 9:30 a.m. at the Lahaina Jodo Mission at 12 Ala Moana Street. 

Members of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset and fellow volunteers spent a recent Thursday helping to finish a Habitat for Humanity home for a family of wildfire survivors in Lahaina.

Op-Ed:  Jonathan Helton with the Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi explains how a recently passed bill could ease the rebuilding of Lahaina’s roads, water lines and sewer system following the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires.