A view of the Lahaina fire taken from a neighboring town, Kaanapali. Photo courtesy of former student Sierra Hume.
On August 8, families and visitors (some from San Luis Obispo High School) woke up to fires outside their windows at 6:46 am in Maui, Hawaii. This experience was eerily similar to that of Paradise, California on November 8, 2018.
The area that sustained the most damage during the Maui fire was Lahaina, a popular tourist attraction. Great food, art galleries, souvenir shops, and a beautiful view of the ocean could be found here.
“It was kind of [a] busy small town with shops and family businesses on both sides of the road. It was a nice scenic walk down the street, really good food. It was a very happy, upbeat place. Everyone was having a good time,” said senior Grant Svendsen.
According to Reuters, the Maui Fire’s death toll is 114, and there are over 850 missing persons. Despite the 2,200 buildings that burnt down, the world is now more focused on the 11,000 people that the fire has displaced.
“Lahaina was a historic town but it can be rebuilt. It is the people that you cannot replace and the damage [the fire] has done to their lives,” said former student Sierra Hume.
According to Cal Fire, the fire in Paradise, California (known as the Camp Fire) is the deadliest and most destructive fire in California’s history.
“For starters, weather conditions behind the fires is very similar. Both happened during developing drought situations. Both fires spread quickly in conditions caused by high pressure systems nearby. And both locations have terrain that helped strong winds race even faster,” said Danielle Banks of The Weather Channel
Not only are these fires affecting people in Maui, but people here at SLOHS.
“It makes me feel really sad. To put it simply, but essentially there were so many family businesses that were struggling already, or just getting into the swing of things, got burnt down and never really had a chance to grow,” said Svendsen.
Although the fires have been devastating to the United States, citizens should have hope because of financial and physical aid from donors, and dedication from firefighters, and law enforcement officers.
Sources: weather.com, cnn.com, reuters.com, fire.ca.gov
