By now, most people on the internet have heard about the devastating fires that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui over the course of two days.
The wildfires on Maui island began just as Category 4 Hurricane Dora made its way past the Hawaiian island chain on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. The fires were sparked in this dry area on Tuesday night, and the flames were fanned by wind gusts that reached over 80 miles per hour, causing massive destruction to homes, businesses and historic / cultural monuments in the city of Lahaina.
Once a playground to Native Hawaiian Royalty, and the former location of the Capitol of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, historic Lahaina town has been through many changes. From pre-colonialism to whaling to plantations to popular tourist destination — but it has never seen anything like this.
As of this writing, at least 93 people have died due to this tragedy, hundreds have been injured, and tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes due to this catastrophe.
Other areas that are currently affected by fires in Hawai’i are West and South Maui, upcountry Maui and South Kohala, Kohala and the Northern parts of the Big Island of Hawai’i. The causes of the fires are under investigation.
