The empty inside of the Old Lahaina Courthouse two years after the wildfires. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Maui survivors face countless challenges as recovery and community efforts continue, two years since wildfires swept through Lahaina on Aug. 8, 2023.
The fire was the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century, killing at least 102 people. And as for the buildings themselves, the town held hundreds of years of rich history and memories.
These photos from August 2025 share the ongoing construction and healing process. Many of the areas that burned have not yet been rebuilt.
The popular Front Street used to be home to various restaurants, bars, boutiques and more — making it a hotspot for visitors and residents walking along the coast.
Many businesses have either rebuilt in a different area on Maui, or not returned to the island at all.
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
Burned buildings on Front Street, almost two years after the Maui fires. (Aug. 4, 2025).
Catherine Cluett Pactol
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HPR
The remains of various shops that once stood at the intersection of Front Street and Dickenson Street in Lahaina. (Aug. 1, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
The Lahaina Banyan Tree, with the remnants of the Old Lahaina Courthouse in the background, stands two years after the wildfires. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
King Kamehameha III Elementary School, located at 611 Front St., has been cleared of debris in Lahaina. Now it remains an empty lot, and officials plan to rebuild the school at a different site. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
The Lahaina Small Boat Harbor on Aug. 4, 2025.
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
The Old Lahaina Courthouse stands under repair on Wharf Street in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi. (Aug. 4, 2025)
The Lahaina Hongwanji Mission stairs remain, two years after the wildfire destroyed the temple. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
The Lahaina Public Library once stood in this spot on Wharf Street. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
Houses are seen under construction in Lahaina, Maui, almost two years after the wildfires. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Many of the homes have been cleared of debris and ash. Some have started construction in their gravel lots.
But many lots remain empty, except for a surviving mailbox.
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
A burned-out mailbox is adorned with a kukui nut lei in front of a lot where a home once stood. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
A house sits under construction in Lahaina on Aug. 4, 2025, nearly two years after wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes.
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
Most homes in Lahaina have been cleared of debris from the fires two years ago. Many of the lots sit empty, awaiting the construction of a new home. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
Authorities still urge that only local traffic enter various residential areas in Lahaina. (Aug. 4, 2025)
After the wildfires, the community came together in various ways to honor the 102 lives lost.
Off the Lahaina Bypass highway, a memorial sits adorned with photos, lei and gifts.
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
A memorial near the Lahaina Bypass highway includes photos of victims of the August 2023 wildfire. (Aug. 4, 2025)
Tori DeJournett
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HPR
A memorial bench in Lahaina reads, "Blessed are those who mourn. For they shall be comforted. A hui hou Kakou." (Aug. 4, 2025)
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HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol contributed to this report.
The Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires brought devastation to many island residents; these photos show notable sites pictured before or immediately after the fires, and recently, two years later.
Friday marked two years since the wildfires that killed 102 people and destroyed more than 2,200 structures on Maui. In Lahaina, home construction is picking up and fire debris is being transferred to its final resting place. But as HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, for survivors, recovery is a very uneven journey.
