The Maui Fires In Photos: January 2024

The Maui police chief sat down with the Civil Beat Editorial Board for the first time since the Aug. 8 fires. A temporary landfill in Olowalu was built to hold all the toxic debris and fire waste from Lahaina as the next phase of the cleanup began. Water and air quality sampling increased. Thousands gathered for a unity march. And the 2024 legislative session got underway with leaders declaring Maui’s recovery their top priority.

By The Civil Beat Staff / February 1, 2024

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier sat down with the Civil Beat Editorial Board at his office in Wailuku. He couldn’t discuss pending investigations related to the fires, but discussed how the fires affected his officers, dispatchers and others. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2024)

MPD Chief John Pelletier said the Aug. 8 tragedy didn’t just change him and the people of Maui. He said it affected the whole state and country. He heaped praise on the heroic officers who saved lives that day. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2024)

Construction crews were preparing the temporary dump site in Olowalu in early January for the estimated 400,000 tons of debris and toxic ash from the wildfire in Lahaina. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2024)

The Maui County Council approved the Olowalu site after Mayor Richard Bissen promised it would only be a temporary solution while a permanent site is selected and built. (Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2024)

Debris removal was completed Jan. 18 at the first site in Lahaina since the Aug. 8 fires. (Courtesy: Maui County/2024)

Contractor Alpha is doing the debris removal work for the Army Corp of Engineers. (Courtesy: Maui County/2024)

Trucks are transporting the debris to a temporary landfill in Olowalu, about seven miles south of Lahaina. The public remains concerned about its proximity to a world-class coral reef. (Cammy Clark/Civil Beat/2024)

The wildfire debris being dumped in the temporary landfill is to be double-lined with an impermeable material and engineered to prevent leakage into the groundwater. (Courtesy: Maui County/2024)

USGS scientist Renee Takesue is part of the effort to sample the nearshore water quality off the coast of the burn zone in Lahaina. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024)

Scientists with the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center are collecting samples of silt near drainage ditches in West Maui as part of the study. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024)

Multiple agencies are jointly investigating how toxic runoff from some 2,170 acres of burned land and more than 2,200 destroyed buildings may be leaching into Lahaina’s coastal waters and coral reef ecosystem. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024)

Identifying the “transport pathways” will help government officials understand the entry points of the pollution so they can try to mitigate risks to public health, a USGS research geologist said. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024)

The Hoʻulu Lahaina Unity Gathering drew thousands of people from the local community and beyond on Jan. 20. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)

The goal of the 4.5-mile walk was to bring an incredibly diverse community together under a common cause of rebuilding Lahaina. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen, left, shared a moment with unity march organizer Archie Kalepa, a renowned Hawaiian waterman and community leader who founded the nonprofit Lele Aloha and organized the event. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)

The Hoʻulu Lahaina Unity Gathering represented a broad cross-section of Lahaina, which included cultural performances from Chinese, Tongan, Hawaiian and other communities. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen traveled to Oahu for Gov. Josh Green’s State of the State address on Jan. 22 at the Capitol in Honolulu as the 2024 legislative session got underway. Lawmakers intend to focus their work through early May largely on Maui’s recovery. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)

At the opening day celebrations at the Hawaii State Capitol building, Paele Kaikona and a contingent of Lahaina Strong came to voice their demands and impress upon the lawmakers the importance of pushing forward with support for their community. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024)

Faced with increased demands for water, Maui County officials are considering a suite of conservation measures that include restricting how often properties can be irrigated. (Cammy Clark/Civil Beat/2024)

The Maui Department of Water Supply held a series of public meetings in late January, beginning with one in Lahaina, on the development of a Water Conservation and Shortage Plan for the county. (Cammy Clark/Civil Beat/2024)

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