The transfer of Lahaina wildfire debris to its final disposal site is now complete. The milestone marks the close of the cleanup process and a meaningful step for the community after the 2023 wildfire.
The deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century killed 102 people and turned vast stretches of Lahaina into burned rubble. Officials have said there was enough debris to fill five football fields, five stories high.
The temporary Olowalu site was completed in 2024 as an interim holding site to safely contain the debris while the permanent site was being developed.
Since June, 50 trucks have spent every day hauling 400,000 tons of debris to the permanent site at the Central Maui Landfill.
Now begins the restoration portion of the project. The temporary storage site at Olowalu will be returned to its former condition and receive road repairs and drainage installations.
For the next two and a half months, trucks will be transporting restoration materials. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, Environmental Chemical Corporation, will also remove the liner, leachate system, and other temporary infrastructure at Olowalu.
Mayor Richard Bissen said the restoration efforts fulfill a promise to the community and show a commitment to caring for the ‘āina.
“This milestone holds deep meaning for our community,” Bissen said in a press release. “The debris from Lahaina represents more than the physical remnants of what was lost — it carries the memory and spirit of a place and its people."
The permanent site, about 19 miles away, was engineered with environmental safeguards that include geotextile layers, a welded liner, leachate collection systems and groundwater monitoring wells, according to the county.
Soil and groundwater testing will be conducted by USACE and ECC.
"With this transfer complete, the debris now rests in a protected area that will remain undisturbed, as we promised," Bissen added.
For more information on the debris transfer, click here. Monitor the progress of site restoration here.
