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Front Street burn zone reopens to Lahaina residents

The burn zone area along Front Street reopened Monday, Dec. 11 and Tuesday, Dec. 12, to Lahaina residents and owners with entry passes. The renewed access on Monday and Tuesday marks an important emotional milestone for victims of the Aug. 8 fire, but much work remains to be done to safely clear properties of burned debris and rebuild.

By Lindsey Wasson / AP

Dec. 11, 2023

Hawaii PhotosMauiMaui Wildfires

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The town of Lahaina is pictured Tuesday, Dec. 5. The heart of Lahaina, the historic Maui town that burned in a deadly Aug. 8 wildfire that killed at least 100 people, reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and business owners who hold a day pass.
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The town of Lahaina is pictured Tuesday, Dec. 5. The heart of Lahaina, the historic Maui town that burned in a deadly Aug. 8 wildfire that killed at least 100 people, reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and business owners who hold a day pass.
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A burnt car is seen near the remains of the Masters' Reading Room in burn zone 11A on Dec. 7, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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A truck sits near the remains of the Wharf Cinema Center parking area in burn zone 11A on Dec. 7, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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A burnt car sits in the parking lot in front of the Baldwin Home museum in burn zone 11A on Dec. 7, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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Melted signs are seen in the remains of the Wharf Cinema Center parking area in burn zone 11A on Dec. 7, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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A County of Maui truck drives by King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Zone 12A, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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A bird sits atop burnt rubble in Zone 11A on Dec. 7, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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Debris of former shops and businesses on Front Street in burn zone 11A is pictured Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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The remains of the King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Zone 12A is seen Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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Debris of former shops and businesses on Front Street in burn zone 11A is pictured Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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The remains of the Old Lahaina Courthouse is seen behind the 150-year-old banyan tree damaged by the August wildfire in burn zone 11A, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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The 150-year-old banyan tree on Front Street is seen behind rubble in burn zone 11A Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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New growth is seen on the 150-year-old banyan tree damaged by the August wildfire in burn zone 11A Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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New growth is seen on the 150-year-old banyan tree damaged by the August wildfire in burn zone 11A Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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New growth is seen on the 150-year-old banyan tree damaged by the August wildfire in burn zone 11A Dec. 8, in Lahaina. The area reopened Monday, Dec. 11, to residents and owners with entry passes.
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A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sign shows what surveys and assessments have been completed at the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, stands for a portrait at the stairs of his temple destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, points to the cracked glass of the nokotsudo, or columbarium, that survived being destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, displays one of his golf clubs he found in his home destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Reverend Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, stands for a photo on the stairs of his destroyed temple, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Cleanup efforts are still underway after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Burnt chairs sit in the former social hall of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, walks in the parking lot as he visits his temple and residence destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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A broken mug lies in the debris of the social hall of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, squats down to look at debris where the altar once stood in the grounds of his temple destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, picks up ashes of records destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community on Hawaiian island of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Vines and grass grow into the front of a burnt car, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, takes off protective equipment after walking through his temple and residence destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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A placard marking the Waiola Church unsafe to enter is pictured, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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A person talks with a driver in front of destroyed shops on Front Street, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community on Hawaiian island of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, stands for a portrait at the stairs of his temple destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Rev. Ai Hironaka, resident minister of the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, offers a prayer inside the nokotsudo, or columbarium, that survived being destroyed by wildfire, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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The remains of the historic Waiola Church are seen, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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A contractor leaves a fenced off business destroyed by wildfire after a crew checked on trees on the property, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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A contractor leaves a fenced off business destroyed by wildfire after a crew checked on trees on the property, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Janet Spreiter, whose home across the street was destroyed in the August wildfire, peers into a flooded parking garage in a destroyed business complex next to the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort on Front Street, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Spreiter and other residents say they have concerns about the water with wildfire debris and toxins potentially seeping into the ocean or being pumped uphill to a tank that could seep into groundwater.
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Debris sits in a flooded parking garage in a destroyed business complex next to the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort on Front Street, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Resident Janet Spreiter, who lived across the street, and other residents say they have concerns about the water with wildfire debris and toxins potentially seeping into the ocean or being pumped uphill to a tank that could seep into groundwater.
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New fencing sections off areas of the burn zone as seen from Hawaii Route 30, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Janet Spreiter, whose home across the street was destroyed in the August wildfire, stands in front of a flooded parking garage in a destroyed business complex next to the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort on Front Street, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Spreiter and other residents say they have concerns about the water with wildfire debris and toxins potentially seeping into the ocean or being pumped uphill to a tank that could seep into groundwater.
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Charred pipes and debris are seen in a destroyed business complex next to the Lahaina Shores Beach Resort on Front Street, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Resident Janet Spreiter, who lived across the street, and other residents say they have concerns about the water with wildfire debris and toxins potentially seeping into the ocean or being pumped uphill to a tank that could seep into groundwater.
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A worker walks through a destroyed property, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Workers clean debris destroyed property, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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A worker in a protective suit and respirator brings an item into a Unitek Contracting Group truck, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Albert Jenks waters new growth on a tree at the remains of the home he grew up in, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Resident Albert Jenks, who grew up on the property, stands with wife Janet Spreiter, left, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Jenks said he remembers playing on a tire swing underneath the tree as a child and had a paper route on Front Street. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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A burnt kettlebell sits in the debris of the home of Janet Spreiter and Albert Jenks, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Resident Albert Jenks, who grew up on the property, walks with wife Janet Spreiter, left, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Jenks said he remembers playing on a tire swing underneath the tree as a child and had a paper route on Front Street. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Burnt wires and PVC pipes sit on the side of the road, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community on Hawaiian island of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Wilted palm trees line a destroyed property, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Burned cars and propane tanks with markings on them sit outside a house destroyed by wildfire, Friday, Dec. 8, in Lahaina. Recovery efforts continue after the August wildfire that swept through the Lahaina community of Maui, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
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Eddy Garcia, executive director of Regenerative Education Centers, holds up ways his organization is reusing scrap materials, including an ash sifter to give to residents searching through their homes, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Olowalu, Hawaii. Garcia says he and other residents want more transparency around the government and its contractors' handling and longterm storage of wildfire debris with potential toxins. "Part of our fears and part of the dangers of this is, you don't smell it. You don't see it. It's an accumulative toxin," he said.
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Eddy Garcia, executive director of Regenerative Education Centers, checks on his crops, Thursday, Dec. 7, in Olowalu. Garcia says he and other residents want more transparency around the government and its contractors' handling and longterm storage of wildfire debris with potential toxins. "Part of our fears and part of the dangers of this is, you don't smell it. You don't see it. It's an accumulative toxin," he said.

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