Two years after the deadliest American wildfire in more than a century reduced much of the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina to ash, the community in Maui continues its slow journey toward recovery.
The August 2023 fires killed more than 100 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. While damaged structures have been cleared, large swaths of the town remain empty. Only about 50 homes have been rebuilt since the disaster.
As rebuilding continues, Mayor Richard Bissen said the county is working to move faster and expediting permits.
Bissen, who was born and raised in Lahaina and served as Maui's top elected official during the fires, faced sharp criticism over the island's emergency response but refused to resign.
"Early in this, I found myself getting sleep, but not getting rest," Bissen said.
Now, he focuses on supporting residents like Kim Ball, one of the first to rebuild.
"His decisions are all made on what's best for our community. And I don't necessarily agree with all of 'em, but I know why he does it," Ball said.
Bissen described his approach to leadership in the aftermath, saying: "I feel the pain of other people. I try to transfer whatever energy … the Hawaiian word we use is 'manna,' your spiritual energy, inner energy. Whatever I gather, I try to give that to the folks that I think need it."
Disaster response and mental health tolls
Professional surfer and lifelong Maui resident Kai Lenny, who was vocal in his criticism of the disaster response, said progress has been made even if accountability was slow.
"At that time, very easy to point fingers and, you know, be upset with people. And I still feel justified in that, but I think the most important thing is that things did start happening after that accountability was made," Lenny said. "And while you might not be able to forgive somebody for what they do, what you can do is acknowledge, you know, people saying that they made a mistake and we're gonna make it better. And it's like, okay. Yeah, let's all move on."
From the air, pockets of new construction are visible across Lahaina's burn zone, though much of historic Front Street remains empty.
Among the businesses to reopen is Old Lahaina Luau, one of the city's most treasured cultural attractions.
"We are right in the center of the burn zone right here in historical Lahaina town. It's a blessing that our damage was not as bad as our neighbors around us," said Kawika Freitas, the luau's public relations director.
Before the fires, the luau employed about 300 people. Half of them lost everything, Freitas said, making it a priority to bring staff back as quickly as possible.
"We look at it as all of our employees are like our children, our Ohana, our family," he said. "And we need them back to get work. Yes. So that they can move on with the rebuild and coming out of this disaster."
For Bissen, the support from community members keeps him focused on the long road ahead, which he said means everything to him.
"You know, to do this job as mayor, I've discovered, you don't need to love the work. You need to love your people. We've just got to keep moving forward. We know this is a long haul and we're in it for the long haul," he said.
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