The Maui Fires In Photos: October 2023

Gov. Josh Green declared West Maui reopen for tourism despite significant pushback from some in the community. Concerns grew over how to deal with toxic ash in the burn zone, and housing for displaced residents remained a problem. Students returned to class in Lahaina, marking a new phase in the fire recovery.

By The Civil Beat Staff / December 31, 2023

In early October, 7,000 Lahaina residents were still living in hotels and temporary housing. Mayor Richard Bissen announced a pilot program to try and incentivize landlords to rent to fire survivors. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023)

Members of the group Lahaina Strong delivered a petition to Gov. Josh Green asking the state to keep tourists out of West Maui to give fire survivors longer to recover. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

The decision to welcome tourists back to West Maui in October was a source of contention between residents who wanted more space to heal and business owners and workers struggling without tourist dollars. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Gov. Josh Green said he was sympathetic to those who weren’t ready for the visitors to return but Maui and the state need the money they bring. Maui County was facing a $31.2 million budget shortfall due to the Aug. 8 wildfires in Lahaina, Kula and Olinda, county documents showed in October. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Many groups grappled with how to show sensitivity to displaced Lahaina residents. The Molokai Hoe Canoe Race changed its route to respect the privacy of fire survivors and paddled a 15-mile Iron Man course from Maunalua Bay to Sand Island instead of its usual journey through the Kaiwi channel.(David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023)

The contrast between the beauty of Maui and the destruction of Lahaina was difficult for residents and visitors alike as the island struggled with how to continue daily life in areas unaffected by the fire. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)

As residents returned to their destroyed properties in Lahaina and area schools prepared to reopen, concerns began to grow about toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in the fire debris. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

In advance of heavy rains, Maui officials gave the approval for fire debris in Lahaina to be sprayed with a soil stabilizer. Areas close to shorelines will be prioritized to minimize the risk of potential ash and debris runoff into marine waters. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Workers spraying down burned buildings in Lahaina had to exercise extreme caution to avoid contact with the soil stabilizer in its liquid form. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Another significant concern during the decontamination process was the protection of important cultural artifacts in Lahaina, one of the most historically important towns on Maui. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Students returned to three schools in Lahaina over the course of a week in October. Parents, community members and alumni turned out in force to welcome the students back. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

The reopening of the Lahaina campuses was a joyous moment for many community members. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Lahainaluna High School alumni Lilinoe Elam-Fonohema handed out snacks to families and students returning to campus for the first time since the August fires. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Mickey Mouse welcomed a Princess Nahienaena Elementary School kindergartener back to school in October. The school also served as a temporary campus for students from King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which burned in the fire. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Despite the rousing welcome given to students, many parents chose to keep their children home or enroll them in other schools over concerns about air and water safety in Lahaina. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

As concerns around the safety of Lahaina campuses lingered, elementary school teacher Kauna’oa Garcia called out sick and instead offered informal lessons at the beach park for students in the Department of Education’s Hawaiian Language Immersion Program, or Ka Papahana Kaiapuni Hawaii. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Families in Lahaina’s Kaiapuni program hoped the DOE would build a temporary campus in Napili after the Aug. 8 fires. Instead, they were encouraged to send their children back to the Lahaina campuses despite concerns about potential toxins and pollution from the nearby burn zone. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023)

Charmane Yamada, a preschool teacher and mother of three girls, said in October that she believed Lahaina was not yet “spiritually safe.” Many parents were opting not to send their children back to Lahaina schools in the fall. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)

Hawaiian Electric was working in October to restore power to hundreds of customers after the Aug. 8 wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui, even as lawsuits against the company over its possible connection to the fires mounted. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)

Homeowners in Kula were struggling to come up with creative solutions to soil erosion after the fires. Some were using downed eucalyptus trees to control the soil by lining them perpendicularly and adding mulch. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)

Members of the House Finance Committee traveled to Kula to discuss plans to control loose soil in the burned areas of Upcountry Maui and Lahaina. Federal officials planned to air-drop seeds of invasive grasses across the scorched landscape to prevent further erosion. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023)

Lahaina residents who worked in the tourism industry were facing hard decisions in October. Randy Dadez, who drives a shuttle bus, was considering moving to the Philippines with his family. (Brittany Lyte/Civil Beat/2023_

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