Lessons from the blaze that levelled Lahaina

A deadly wildfire on Maui steals Hawaiians’ homes and history

A woman sits forlornly where her apartment once stood in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, two days after it was devastated by wildfire. — Earth to earthImage: Go Nakamura/ New York Times / Redux / eyevine

Aug 17th 2023|Lahaina

WHEN KING Kamehameha I united the Hawaiian islands in the early 1800s, he made Lahaina the capital of his new kingdom. The seaside city on western Maui was his crown jewel. Missionaries and whalers flocked to its shores. Kings and queens were buried in the graveyard of Waiola church. Later, it became a tourist destination. Surf shops, bars and museums lined its streets; 13,000 people called Lahaina home. Now an ashen moonscape lies between the mountains and the sea where it once stood.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Paradise lost”