Lahaina Fire Personal Experience Maui-Hawaii

Abstract This paper chronicles the author's personal journey and firsthand experience during the Lahaina fire in Maui, offering a reflective account of the challenges and lessons learned amidst the crisis. The account emphasizes the critical information vacuum that survivors faced and provides detailed emergency preparedness recommendations based on lived experience. Introduction On August 8, 2023, the Lahaina fire in Maui, Hawaii, ignited at 2:55 PM HST and continued until August 9, 2023, at 8:30 AM. The fire, fueled by strong winds from the nearby Hurricane Dora, spread rapidly, as reported by Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura (Lahaina Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report Released by the Attorney General of Hawaii, 2024). The Lahaina fire in Maui killed 101 people and destroyed over 2,200 structures, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century (Sinco, 2024; National Weather Service, 2024).