For many visitors, the town of Lahaina is a place to go for tropical beaches.
Its heritage museum, in a landmark courthouse, houses artifacts from before the rest of the world knew Hawaii existed.
Its oldest building, the Baldwin Home, was occupied by the 19th-century physician who saved Maui from an epidemic of smallpox.
“We had no preparation, no warning, nothing,” said Theo Morrison, the executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, which manages more than a dozen historic sites in the town.
She left Maui a day before the fires had broken out on Tuesday night, bound for Europe on family business, she said.
Persons:
Baldwin, ”, Theo Morrison, Morrison
Organizations:
Lahaina Restoration Foundation
Locations:
Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui, East Coast, Europe