Handmade leather sandal craftsman Michael Mahnensmith, 80, was confirmed Thursday as a victim who died in the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire, according to the Maui Police Department.
Mahnensmith had previously been listed as missing, and MPD publicly identified him as one of 98 people known to have died from the fire after notifying his family.
There is only one other fire victim whose identity is known to police but whose family has not yet been located or notified. There are also four people believed to have been killed in
the fire with identities not yet determined.
Mahnensmith described himself on Facebook as “Lahaina’s resident Sandalmaker.” He started his shop, Island Sandals, on Front Street in 1978 and became known for his custom-
made footwear and other leather accessories.
On Mahnensmith’s etsy.com store, he said he learned his craft in Santa Monica, Calif., from David Webb, a maker of sandals for Greek and Roman movies during the late ’50s and early ’60s.
“He rediscovered his sandal design from the sandals used 3,000 years ago by the desert warriors of King Solomon in Ethiopia,” the online IslandSandalsMaui description of Mahnensmith said. “He developed the idea while living in Catalina in the 1960s and copyrighted it in 1978.”
In a separate announcement Thursday, Maui County officials said a fourth group of residential property zones with fire damage will be open Monday and Tuesday for confirmed landowners and residents who obtain vehicle passes and want to
enter.
These zones are labeled on a county Lahaina disaster map as A-3 along Wahikuli Road, B-3 along Ainakea Road and C-3 along Fleming Road.
Reentry hours are from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the two days, during which assistance from disaster aid volunteers is available along with washing stations, portable toilets, shade tents and other
resources.
After the first two days of supported reentry, access will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily for area residents with a vehicle pass or ID.
Vehicle pass applications and on-site distribution for the three new zones will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Saturday at the Lahaina Civic Center and the county’s Kalana o Maui building lobby in Wailuku. Optional personal protective equipment kits and instructions will be available from nonprofits during pass distribution.
The addition announced Thursday will make 10 residential areas in Lahaina that have been cleared for reentry since Sept. 25. Additionally, five commercial zones and Launiupoko Beach Park have been reopened to the public.
Maui Emergency Management Agency interim Administrator Darryl Oliveira has indicated the county is moving to open more residential disaster zones at a quicker pace.
Oliveira told Maui County Council members Wednesday that on average about half of the owners and residents in each of the zones opened for reentry so far have returned to visit their homes and properties.
