Lahaina’s devastated landscape looks more like a war zone than the beloved Pacific Ocean beauty spot that welcomes more than two million tourists a year.
The smell of smoke hangs in the air as the historic buildings continue to smolder from the wildfires that began engulfing the Hawaiian resort town on the island of Maui late Tuesday.
The death toll now stands at 80 – and that figure is expected to rise further, with thousands of people still missing and rescuers still having to search the many razed properties.
DailyMail.com managed to enter the exclusion zone set up by Maui authorities early Friday afternoon with a small group of residents who had come to survey the damage to their homes and search the rubble to retrieve fond memories.
More than 2,200 buildings here have been reduced to ashes, forcing at least 1,400 residents to flee to emergency shelters across the island. The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and FEMA estimate the cost of the rebuild at $5.52 billion.
Blackened and twisted metal car frames littered the now-deserted streets of Lahaina, some of which probably belonged to those who didn’t make it out alive.
Lahaina’s devastated landscape looks more like a war zone than the beloved Pacific beauty spot that welcomes more than two million tourists a year
Residents returned to the coastal town on Friday to survey the damage to their homes and recover precious memories turned to ashes
Many have mourned, while others spent sleepless nights wondering when the thousands of missing will be found
Cars meandered bumper to bumper back along the Honoapiilani Highway as locals lined up for hours before officials allowed those with proof of residence to enter.
Tiffany Teruya had returned to see what was left of the apartment building she moved into only last October.
The 37-year-old waitress ran for her life as the fire moved closer and closer to her home that she shared with her 13-year-old son.
‘It’s gone. We lost everything. Many of us have done that,” she says, reflecting on where her home once stood on Kupuohi Street in the historic city.
Strong winds, partly from Hurricane Dora some 800 miles away, fanned the flames and caused the fire to quickly spread across the western part of the island.
“There was no urgency from senior officials to let us know that a major emergency was coming,” she tells us.
“They said on social media that the fires were under control.”
Just hours after our conversation, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced she will investigate critical decision-making before, during and after the wildfires.
Dem Hawaii Rep. Jill Tokuda also admitted in an interview with CNN Saturday morning that the state had underestimated “the lethality, the speed of fire.”
She said no plan has been put in place for possible failures of the emergency alert system typically received on mobile phones. There was no mobile phone coverage in the area at the time.
“It’s not like hurricane-force winds are unknown to Hawaii, or dry brush or red flag conditions,” she said.
“We saw this before in (Hurricane) Lane. We didn’t learn our lesson from Lane (in 2018) – that wildfires can break out due to swirling hurricane winds below us in the south,” Tokuda said. “We have to make sure we do better.”
In 2018, as Hurricane Lane approached Hawaii, wildfires raged across 2,330 acres in Maui. A year later, 25,000 acres had been scorched — yet Hawaii’s emergency management agency described the risk of wildfires to human life as “low.”
Before then, Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster was a tsunami in 1960 that killed 61 people, injured nearly 300, and caused an estimated $75 million in damage.
Dem Hawaii Rep. Jill Tokuda admitted Saturday morning that the state underestimated “the lethality, the speed of fire.” Photos of the devastating fires are now beginning to emerge
Today, 2,207 structures have been reduced to nothing more than rubble or ashes, including the one in Lahaina – where a man walks through the ruins of his home
DailyMail.com managed to enter the exclusion zone set up by Maui authorities early Friday afternoon with a small group of residents who had come to survey the damage to their homes
Teruya says she fled as black smoke billowed through her neighborhood and wrapped around nearby homes and shops.
“My son packed everything he could, I packed my mom’s ashes and we left.”
Just under a mile north, Hector Cardenas, 19, is desperately trying to see what he can salvage from his own home where he lived with his mother.
“Those are my dumbbells right there that I used to work out in my room. This is so insane,” he says, pointing to what’s left of his bedroom.
“I lost my car, I lost everything. I only managed to pack two shirts and a pair of shorts. Other than that I have nothing else.’
Just eight hours after the locals of Lahaina moved back in, authorities suddenly closed the only road into the disaster area after reports of clashes between residents and police.
Angry scenes unfolded on the road to Lahaina Friday as police reopened the artery for the first time since the devastating wildfires — and 100 people challenged officers trying to control access.
Footage shared on social media showed a long line of cars entering the fire-ravaged city after the road was cleared at noon.
People had to show either proof of residency in the West Maui area or proof that they stayed at a hotel in the zone.
But by 5pm the road was closed in both directions and police said distraught and angry residents were causing chaos, with one officer saying riots seemed inevitable.
The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and FEMA estimate the cost of rebuilding the Lahaina Fire at $5.52 billion
The blackened and twisted metal frames of cars littered the now-deserted streets of Lahaina, some of which probably belonged to those who didn’t make it out alive
Aerial view of vehicles destroyed by wildfires in Lahaina, fueled by a dry summer and high winds from a passing hurricane
An officer told The Honolulu Star Advertiser that people parked along the highway and ventured into areas not yet considered safe, becoming “emotional” when police told them to leave the area.
Cars were allowed to leave at 6 p.m., but the road to Lahaina remained closed.
Maui County officials confirmed there was a disturbance and urged people to respect orders to avoid certain areas.
They said anyone found in a closed off area of the city could be arrested.
“The road to Lahaina was opened for local residents to provide medicine and supplies to their families who remain in homes on the west side and need such assistance outside the fire/biohazard zone,” the local government said in a statement.
Many people park on the Lahaina Bypass and walk to the Makai areas of the bypass, which has been closed due to hazardous conditions and biological hazards.
“This zone has been declared an authorized personnel only area by Mayor Bissen, and those caught inside this zone will be escorted out and may be arrested.
“This area is an active police scene and we must preserve the dignity of lost lives and respect their surviving families.”
The local officials asked people to understand that the police and other search and rescue teams needed time and space to do their job.
“Unauthorized access to these areas increases the danger to themselves and delays our operations as MPD and National Guard personnel must cease their searches and escort individuals out,” they said.
“If people continue to disobey orders, access to Lahaina will be closed again and only accessible to emergency services.”