Hawaii

The fire that devastated historic Lahaina in western Maui left a red-roofed house relatively unscathed. Its owner says he wants to open the house to the neighborhood to help the rebuilding process.

National

'Miracle house' owner hopes it will serve as a base for rebuilding Lahaina

5:00am August 24, 2023

by Bill Chappell

"There was a neighbor who sent a note to us and said, 'Oh, you won the lottery,'" Trip Millikin, whose house survived, told NPR. "And I almost wanted to throw up when I got that."

Five-year-old cousins Layla and Mila Cabanilla Okano are among the many children staying with members of their extended family at one property on Maui in the wake of the wildfires.

After the fires on Maui, one home shelters 87 people

5:00am August 23, 2023

Those displaced by the fires have found temporary quarters in hotels and with family and friends. One host opened their home to 87 evacuees, most of them from one extended family.

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Pastor Estrella Arquero leads Koinonia Pentecostal Church with her husband. There are at least 20 church members sleeping in the parish hall because they lost their homes in the fire.

A Filipino congregation took in its own members after their Lahaina homes burned

3:37pm August 18, 2023

by Jason DeRose

The devastating fires on Maui burned more than 2,000 homes and buildings in Lahaina. Many churches have taken in their congregants because they have nowhere to go.

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Uilani (left) and Keeamoku Kapu run the Na 'Aikane o Maui Cultural and Research Center which was burned to the ground in the wildfires so they set up this grassroots community distribution center in Lahaina. They are on the phone here taking a call from Oprah about supplies she will be delivering.

Priceless connections to Hawaii's ancient past were lost when cultural center burned

3:15pm August 18, 2023

by Jonaki Mehta

As people grapple with more than 100 people who died in the Lahaina fire on Maui, they're still trying to understand the loss of priceless artifacts and their connections to the island's ancient past.

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Luz Vargas, 45, lost her son Kenyero Fuentes in the fire in Lahaina, Maui, on Aug. 8. He was found in the remnants of their burned home. His 15th birthday would have been this Sunday.

National

A mother raced to save her son from the Maui fires. She couldn't reach him

2:55pm August 18, 2023

by Vanessa Romo

When everyone was trying to escape the flames in Lahaina, Luz Vargas ran toward them: Her son was home alone. Days later she found his body. Sunday would have been his 15th birthday.

Niko Sena, right, hugs a friend who has been helping with the effort.

On Maui, another fire is burning but capturing less attention than Lahaina

5:01am August 18, 2023

While the world focuses on the devastation in West Maui and the destruction of the historic community of Lahaina, another wildfire is still burning in the hills some 25 miles away in Kula.

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Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya speaks during a news conference in Wailuku, Hawaii, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.

National

The embattled leader of Maui County's Emergency Management Agency has resigned

11:11pm August 17, 2023

by Ravenna Koenig

Herman Andaya has faced increasing scrutiny following last week's fires in Lahaina that killed more than 110 people. He's defended his decision not to activate emergency sirens as the town burned.

Carelle Calvan in blue T-shirt, hugs Nora Bulosan as they gather near a checkpoint in hopes to get access to their home destroyed in recent wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.

National

Hawaii governor vows to block land grabs as fire-ravaged Maui rebuilds

5:38am August 17, 2023

by The Associated Press

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he had instructed the state attorney general to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina. He acknowledged the move will likely face legal challenges.

John Picard hands a watermelon to Ridge Lenny as part of the donated items he and other members of the local surfing community are helping transport to Lahaina residents in need.

National

See how one volunteer group organized aid deliveries after fire decimates Lahaina

9:31pm August 13, 2023

In Maui, NPR joined a tour boat operator to see the grassroots initiative the local surfing community and neighbors started to fill in gaps not currently being filled by official channels.

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Davilynn Severson and Hano Ganer look for belongings through the ashes of their family's home on Friday in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, in western Maui, Hawaii.

National

Death toll from Maui fires climbs to 89, becoming deadliest in modern U.S. history

11:43pm August 12, 2023

by Juliana Kim

Rescue teams continue to search for survivors on the Hawaiian island after wildfires destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina. Over 1,400 people remain in emergency evacuation shelters.