State Farm – Flicker

A home burned down in Haiku from the fires.

The Maui fires in 2023 were started by conditions created by Hurricane Dora and much of Maui was destroyed as result. These fires have become the most popular talk all over the world, with about 2,700 homes reported to be destroyed. “It’s horrifying. I’ve flown here 52 years and I’ve never seen anything come close to that,” helicopter pilot Richard Olsten told the Associated Press news agency.

Victims of these fires have returned to still-standing buildings and are making do without running water and electricity and with very limited access to food. Not only have they lost their homes and lives, but the community is angered as they tell BBC News they were not forewarned about the fires.

Just as we all thought it was over, hundreds of people remain missing almost a week after the disaster. Finally, some descent news, the fires are now reported to be under control, efforts to fully put out the fires continue on some parts of the island.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said the Maui fires were the “largest natural disaster in Hawaii state history” and that 80 percent of the beach-front town had “gone.”

Another resident, Alice Lee, chair of the Maui County Council, told the BBC World Service’s Newsday Programme how the fire consumed “beautiful” Front Street, the town’s main strip. “The fire traversed almost the entire street, so all the shops and little restaurants that people visited on their trips to Maui, most of them are burnt down to the ground,” Lee said, also adding “So many businesses will have to struggle to recover.”

Some of our brave Rocky students experienced this tragic event. Sophomore Reagan Morin said: “One of my close family friends lived in Maui. They are a family of 5 and they had 3 properties on the island. All three properties burned down, and they lost everything.” Adding “It’s just sad to see how fast their lives changed, now they live in the states traveling trying to make the best of the worst.”