After release of Attorney General’s report, survivors of Lahaina fire say they still do not feel safe

LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – After the state Attorney General’s Office opened the “second phase” of its investigation into Maui’s wildfire disaster, 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 give them a sense of security.

“I feel like they’re trying to implement changes, but the changes aren’t happening fast enough, especially when you look at firefighting. What’s being done to fight fires? Almost nothing. Now, over a year later, we seem to be in the same situation,” said Jordan Ruidas, founder of Lahaina Strong.

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

She and others believe that lessons should have been learned from this incident.

Shannon II, who has lived in Lahaina her entire life, said nothing was done and, in her opinion, this ultimately led to the disaster in 2023.

“I’ve lived here for generations. My ohana is from Lahaina and I see that there is still no fire prevention. We’ve discussed so many different things. There is still brush. So it’s not like – if it happens, it will happen again,” said Ii, who lost her home last August.

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

“Putting up overhead poles after the August 8th incident, which was basically a death trap, definitely doesn’t sit well with the community. Whether it’s a funding issue or whatever, 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 nobody got out,” said Courtney Lazo, who also lost her home in the 2023 fire.

Fire survivors say that in addition to dry brush and infrastructure, Lahaina’s ongoing water shortage must also be addressed.

Maui County released this statement Friday afternoon:

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