Lāhainā Is Still Recovering From The Destructive Maui Fire Of 2023
Wtp22/Wikimedia CommonsA view of the Lāhainā Fire from Wailea.
In early August 2023, a series of fires erupted across the Hawaiian island of Maui. The Lāhainā fire was the largest — and deadliest.
On the morning of August 8, 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts snapped a power pole in Lāhainā, sparking a three-acre brush fire. Firefighters thought they’d extinguished it, but it returned that afternoon with a vengeance.
As the winds blew, hundreds of homes were destroyed in just minutes. The blaze spread so rapidly that residents had little notice to evacuate. People who were stuck in traffic as they tried to flee abandoned their cars and jumped into the ocean to avoid the flames.
Public DomainThe Lāhainā Fire is the fifth-deadliest wildfire in U.S. history.
No warning sirens went off during the fire, and some people didn’t even know what was happening until they saw the flames approaching their homes.
The Honolulu Civil Beat published the stories of several survivors, including Julius Limbaga, who didn’t even make it out of his neighborhood before his car was engulfed in flames.
“After realizing my car was a coffin,” Limbaga said, “I jumped out only to be greeted by darkness, searing heat and embers that struck my face and body. Surrounded by flames, the only exit was through my backyard even though the bushes and grass were already ablaze.”
He poured water over himself and raced through the flames, his sandals melting and his skin bubbling. “When I finally reached the beach,” Limbaga continued, “I helped a distressed elderly woman unable to reach the surf. I lifted her onto my back and carried her into the ocean. As we entered the surf, I felt searing pain as the saltwater engulfed my burns and wounds.”
The Lāhainā wildfire was the fifth deadliest in U.S. history, with at least 102 confirmed fatalities. Recovery is ongoing.
