Hawaii wildfire News

Judge Bars Insurers From Going After Defendants Who Agreed to $4B Maui Wildfire Settlement

A Maui judge’s ruling resolves a critical roadblock to finalizing a $4 billion wildfire settlement: Insurance companies who have paid out more than $2 billion in claims can seek reimbursement only from the settlement amount defendants, who victims blame for …

Hawaiian Electric Pegs Loss at $1.7 Billion From Maui Fire

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. pegged losses from estimated accrual of liabilities stemming from one of the worst wildfires in US history at $1.7 billion and issued a going-concern warning. Hawaiian Electric said last week that it had agreed to pay …

‘We’re Going to Survive and It’s Going to Come Back’: A Year After Maui Wildfire, Survivors Press on

They have combed the ashes for mementos, worried about where they would sleep, questioned their faith and tried to find a way to grieve amid the great, unsettling devastation. Residents have faced a year of challenges, practical and emotional, since …

Maui Officials Highlight Steps Toward Rebuilding a Year After Deadly Wildfire

Nearly a year after wind-whipped flames raced through Kim Ball’s Hawaii community, the empty lot where his house once stood is a symbol of some of the progress being made toward rebuilding after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than …

Maui Council to Study Impacts of Eliminating 7,000 Vacation Rentals

Blue Cleaning, a small business in West Maui that spruces up 27 vacation rentals, survived the sharp decline in tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the devastating Aug. 8 wildfire in Lahaina. But now Leo Szakacs-Kekona, who owns and …

After Wildfire, Hawaii Fire Crews Take Stock of Their Ability to Communicate in a Crisis

Fire departments across the state are reevaluating their emergency communication capabilities after the Maui wildfires, when the vulnerability of the island’s cellular network — and a lack of advanced communication tools in fire vehicles — complicated efforts by first responders …

After Maui, Hawaii Lawmakers Budget Funds for Firefighting Equipment and a State Fire Marshal

Hawaii lawmakers appropriated funds for more firefighting equipment and a state fire marshal after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century ripped through the historic Maui town of Lahaina and exposed shortcomings in the state’s readiness for such …

Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim at Vacation Rentals After Wildfire Amplifies Housing Crisis

Amy Chadwick spent years scrimping and saving as a single mother of two to buy a house in the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. But after a devastating fire leveled Lahaina in August and reduced Chadwick’s …

Maui Fire Officials Defend Response to Deadly Lahaina Blaze

Maui Fire Department officials defended their initial response to what became the deadliest fire in Hawaii history, saying they stayed at the scene of the Aug. 8 blaze until it was fully extinguished. The officials commented at a press conference …

Subpoenas on Maui Agencies and Officials Delay Release of Report Into Wildfire

Hawaii’s attorney general blamed a delay of the release of a key report into a deadly Maui wildfire on county agencies that forced investigators to issue subpoenas. The first phase of an independent investigation into the Aug. 8 fire that …