After AG releases report, Lahaina fire survivors say they still don't feel safe

LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – After the State Attorney’s Office released “phase two” of its investigation into the wildfire disaster in Maui, several survivors of the Lahaina fire agree that last year’s tragedy could have been prevented.

A year later, they say not much has been done to make them feel safe.

“I feel like they’re trying to implement changes, but the changes aren’t happening fast enough, especially if you look at firefighting. What’s being done to reduce the fire? Almost nothing. So here we are over a year later and it seems like we’re in the same position,” said Lahaina Strong founder Jordan Ruidas.

Ruidas founded the grassroots community advocacy group back in 2018 after a fire destroyed 22 homes when high winds from Hurricane Lane fueled a Kauaula Valley wildfire.

She and others say they should have learned from that incident.

Lifelong Lahaina resident Shannon Ii said nothing was done and believes that ultimately led to the 2023 disaster.

“I have lived here for generations. My ohana is from Lahaina and I see there is still no fire fighting. We have discussed so many different things. There is still brush. So it’s not – if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen again,” said Ii, who lost his home last August.

Ii and other survivors say more needs to be done to make residents feel safe.

“Putting up poles above ground after what happened that basically caused a death trap on August 8 is definitely not appropriate in society. Whether it’s a funding issue or what have you, why are we spending money on something that has failed us in the past? And “What can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen again? Just something visual. I feel like the power lines are a visual reminder of what killed a lot of our community members because no one was able to get out,” said Courtney Lazo, who also lost his home on fire in 2023.

Fire survivors say that in addition to dry brush and infrastructure, the continued lack of water in Lahaina also needs to be addressed.

Maui County released this statement Friday afternoon:

The County of Maui continues to stand in steadfast support of the firefighters, police, first responders and its residents who heroically sacrificed their personal safety to help our community. We continue to regard their efforts in August 2023 – suppressing four (4) simultaneous fires under extreme weather conditions in both wildland and urban conditions – as the highest form of service to our people.

“The County remains committed to a transparent and thorough investigation that will help us identify and implement best practices — many that have already been established to protect the health and safety of our community,” said Mayor Bissen. “This investigation, paired with the findings from our county police, fire and MEMA After Action Reports, will be leveraged to improve our ability to respond to future disasters and save lives.”

The County recognizes the Department of Attorney General’s efforts with respect to this report and aligns with its vision of openness and disclosure. The vast majority of information used in this report came from the county and its hard working and resilient officials. To date, the County has delivered to the State over fifty (50) separate productions of documents (containing over 23,000 distinct files, including approximately 8,000 video and audio files; more than 85,000 pages; and approximately 125 GB of data) and has made its staff, directors, deputies and employees available for over 150 technical interviews and numerous site visits in and around the affected areas. Technical interviews continue to this day, with another scheduled for next week.

These technical interviews were compelled by the Attorney General’s investigative powers, and the interviewees were not offered immunity from subsequent civil or criminal prosecution in exchange for their testimony. Interviewees were not informed that their recorded interviews would be released by FSRI as part of a public media presentation.

The county has provided this information and made its current and former staff available for interviews while defending over 700 civil lawsuits and engaging in global settlement mediation. Given the efforts of all parties in the lawsuits, the county is focused on expediting the delivery of critical assistance to the victims of these tragic fires by achieving a global settlement.

The County remains committed to the ongoing efforts to resolve all claims and disputes to facilitate the path for further healing and recovery of our Maui community.

After AG releases report, Lahaina fire survivors say they still don’t feel safe

After AG releases report, Lahaina fire survivors say they still don’t feel safe