media by courtesy of Alexis Savas

A beach sunset photo captures the Hawaiian island Lanai in the background in Maui 2021. Alexis Savas and her husband got Hawaiian shaved ice and walked along the beach, watching the sunset. “We would just eat our shaved ice and relax by the sunset and I would always try to capture the green flash that happens right before the sun goes down,” Savas said.

Maui, an island renowned for the best beaches in Hawaii, along with mountain landscapes, fresh seafood, and according to the U.S. News & World Report, the fourth best place to visit in the United States. But, what was once an island with white sandy beaches and charming towns, now burns, filled with debris and rubble from the Lahaina wildfires traveling through the western coast.

With a mix of dry vegetation and wind, the fires began in the royal capital of Maui, Lahaina. The historic town filled with culture and tropical charm was almost completely destroyed by the fires Aug. 8, with over 2,700 structures damaged and the death toll on the rise.

According to CNN, Maui had also been simultaneously hit by Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 hurricane bringing strong pressure and high winds of up to 67 mph, drastically increasing the spread of the fire.

The hurricane winds led to downed power lines, water access chut off, and more, all resulting in the destruction of life and property. The cause of the fire still remains unknown but investigators suspect it was due to active power lines falling over from Hurricane Dora, or some other electricity-related cause (CBS News).

According to the U.S. drought monitor, Maui had already been put in the D-1 and D-2 drought category throughout the island, carving a path for ignition. Scientists and meteorologists claim that Hawaii’s ecosystem has drastically changed in the past 30 years, with wildfires becoming increasingly common.

But, unlike Colorado or California, where fire warnings are more frequent, Hawaii doesn’t have a deep history of heavy wildfires as the environment has only recently changed due to worsening drought conditions and climate change (Wired).

Ali Gustafson ‘24 lived in Hawaii for 10 years in eastern Oahu, the third island next to Maui. 

“When I first found out about the fires, I didn’t think it was super bad. As the death toll climbed, it definitely started to be more alarming. I think the worst Oahu got was smoke and ash piling up on the side of the mountain, but the photos and videos of Maui are horrific,” Gustafson said. “People are sitting on rocks, some have masks on, some are swimming out into the ocean and the Coast Guard goes [to]

pick them up. I know the locals are really sad about it and it’s really a shame that so many people are displaced from it. It doesn’t even look real. It kind of looks like something out of a movie where the cars are burnt and the buildings are burnt. Everything is covered in ash.”

French teacher Alexis Savas has a personal connection to Lahaina, as she spent several holidays there over the years. 

“My husband and I got engaged in Hawaii so we went to Lahaina, got dole whips–which of course are special to me because I used to work for Disney Cruise–and we loved it so much that we went back for our 10-year anniversary. We spent every day in Lahaina because my husband’s dive shop was right off of Front Street and we made amazing memories there,” Savas said. “To see before and after photos of where everything was and everything burnt down is very sad, and to me personally, I like places more than I like anything else. You get a feeling of nostalgia but then at the same time you know it will never be the same as what it once was.”

According to CBS News, Maui prepared sirens and cell notifications to alert its citizens in the case of danger or evacuation from the increasing amount of wildfires and other weather hazards such as hurricanes and tsunamis.

However, at the beginning of the fire, survivors claimed not to have received the news, learning only through neighbors running down the street or by seeing it for themselves. 

Chief of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, Herman Andaya, stated that he didn’t regret not activating the sirens as it could have worsened the situation.

“Had we sounded the sirens that night, we were afraid that people would have gone mauka (mountainside), and if that was the case, they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya said. People solely relied on alerts to cell phones, television and radio news but because of the widespread power outages, residents claim to have received little to no prior warning (CBS News).

Shannon Diggins ‘24 lived in Lahaina, Maui for two years, directly where the fires started.

“Hearing about the fires is very saddening. I’ve heard too many stories from my friends who live there about everything affected by the damage. One of my friends lost everything, from their cars to his parents’ workplace. Historic spots that were extremely important to Hawaii were destroyed. One of the places I used to frequently visit when I lived over there, Front Street, is completely burned down. It makes me so sad to think about going back to the island and seeing all the damage caused,” Diggins said.

Because this isn’t necessarily a local issue, it can be difficult to understand the amount of damage done to Maui and how much work the Aloha state has ahead of them. First responders are overwhelmed as recovery crews and cadaver dogs continue searching and identifying the deceased, working through ash and destruction as the death toll surpasses 115.

Thousands of survivors are staying in schools, shelters or with friends as volunteers work quickly to ship food, water, clothes, infant formula and other supplies needed to survive (NewburyPort News/CBS News).