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☆ Lahaina’s Immigrants Weigh an Uncertain Future
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Tim Arango | More About Tim Arango | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But she found a measure of happiness: peace, community, beautiful sunsets and an apartment near the Pacific Ocean. Now even that modest bit of paradise is in jeopardy, after the wildfire that ravaged Lahaina in August and killed 99 people. She soon found herself living in the hotel where she worked. “You can start a new life in another place,” she has told her children. Many families are facing similar dilemmas as they wonder whether a future Lahaina will have a place for them.

Persons: Nancy Morales, Morales Locations: Hawaii, Mexico City, Mexico, Maui, Lahaina, United States

Josh Green on Wednesday announced the creation of a $150 million fund to help those who lost family members or who were injured in Maui's wildfires. Beneficiaries will receive payments of more than $1 million as early as next year, the governor's office said in a news release. Those getting money from the fund will waive their right to file legal claims. The fund aims to enable swift and generous financial payments for losses without requiring people to go through time-consuming litigation, the release said. The fund is modeled on the September 11thVictim Compensation Fund, Green said in livestreamed address.

Persons: Josh Green, Green Organizations: —, Wednesday, Electric, Kamehameha Schools, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: HONOLULU, — Hawaii, Lahaina, Maui County

HONOLULU (AP) — A wildfire that has burned forestlands in a remote mountainous area of Central Oahu has moved eastward and away from population centers, Hawaii authorities said Thursday, as firefighters continued to battle the blaze. The flames haven't threatened homes or property, and no evacuations have been ordered, but they have scorched some native koa and ohia trees. Nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) have been burned so far by the blaze, which firefighters have been battling since Monday. Three Army helicopters were dropping water on the fire Thursday, and helicopters from the Honolulu Fire Department and the U.S. Political Cartoons View All 1233 ImagesHawaii's ecosystems evolved in the absence of frequent fires, and when native trees burn, they are often replaced by fire-prone invasive species.

Organizations: Honolulu Fire Department, Three Army, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Locations: HONOLULU, Central Oahu, Hawaii, Honolulu, U.S, Lahaina

But within 12 hours, Lahaina was consumed. Robert ArconadoFROM GRASS FIRE TO INFERNOBefore the fire, a major forecast model used by the National Weather Service predicted a dire situation in Lahaina, according to data analyzed by The Times, with projected hurricane-force gusts of up to 76 miles per hour. OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII Forecast wind gusts Aug. 8, 4 a.m. 0 76 m.p.h. Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationBut rather than highlighting the risks in Lahaina, the weather service issued a broad warning for all the Hawaiian islands, and that warning never made reference to the 76 m.p.h. Instead, the initial warning to the public said gusts could be over 65 m.p.h., and that number was later lowered to around 60 m.p.h.

Persons: Robert Arconado, Cliff Organizations: National Weather Service, The Times, University of Washington Locations: Lahaina, OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII OAHU MAUI Lahaina HAWAII

☆ Five modern-day ghost towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Elissa Garay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Think of “ghost towns” and images of dusty, lost-to-time towns, like those in America’s Wild West, may come to mind. “Climate change will undoubtedly cause death of landscapes where we shall mourn our environmental decline.”Visiting such places now can shine a critical light on the effects of climate change and, in so doing, offer educational experiences to the contemporary visitor. “Visiting such places now can shine a critical light on the effects of climate change and, in so doing, offer educational experiences to the contemporary visitor.”Here are five global ghost towns that have been created as climate change reshapes the world – the likely harbingers of many more to come. Chacaltaya Ski Resort, BoliviaBolivia's abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort closed in 2009. Luke Chen/iStock Editorial/Getty ImagesOnce the world’s highest ski resort, the 17,388-foot-high lodge on Mount Chacaltaya opened in the 1930s as a popular – and only – ski resort in Bolivia’s Andes.

Persons: ”, Gaia Vince, “, Jack DeWaard, “ They’re, it’s, Vince, ” Vince, DeWaard, Philip Stone, Stone, Christoph Sator, de Jean Charles, Jean Charles’s, Cotul, Luke Chen, Chacaltaya, Kile Brewer, – Organizations: CNN, Population Council, United Nations, University of Central, for Dark Tourism Research, Institute, Dark Tourism, Fijian, Louisiana Communities, Valmeyer , Illinois Old, Valmeyer, School, The New York Times Locations: Wild, Hawaii , California, Australia, Bangladesh, Lahaina, Hawaii, Spain, University of Central Lancashire, Vunidogoloa, Fiji, Pacific, Fijian, Vanua Levu, Louisiana, Gulf, Mexico, New Orleans, Cotul Morii, Moldova, Morii, Europe, Bolivia, Andes, La Paz, Valmeyer , Illinois, Mississippi, North, Illinois, Valmeyer, –

☆ Climate change is driving insurance rates up, forcing developers to add weather-proofing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Along East Boston's waterfront sits The Eddy, a two-building property with over 250 luxury apartments. When developers imagined The Eddy in 2014, they kept that weather exposure in mind. According to the Urban Land Institute, or ULI, the developers built The Eddy nine inches higher than the original property that was previously located on the site. The developers also constructed The Eddy with walls that can withstand up to 100 miles per hour of wind. It found that implementing mitigation measures according to modern building codes could save 600 lives and prevent 1 million nonfatal injuries.

Persons: Eddy, ULI, Lindsay Brugger Organizations: Urban Land Institute, Global, National Institute of Building Sciences Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Lahaina , Hawaii, Boston

HONOLULU (AP) — Maui police held a news conference on Monday to show 16 minutes of body camera footage taken the day a wildfire tore through Lahaina town in August, including video of officers rescuing 15 people from a coffee shop and taking a severely burned man to a hospital. Earlier this month, Maui County provided the AP with 911 call recordings in response to an open records request. Officers ushered out 15 people from the coffee shop as smoke swirled in the sky around them, loaded the group into police SUVs and took them to the Lahaina Civic Center. In another clip, an officer finds a badly burned man at a shopping center and put him in the back seat of his patrol car. The fast-moving wildfire on Aug. 8 killed at least 99 people and burned more than 2,000 structures.

Persons: John Pelletier Organizations: Lahaina Civic Center, Co Locations: HONOLULU, Lahaina, Maui County, Wailuku, Hawaii

☆ Hawaii Bribery Scandal Casts a Shadow Over Lahaina’s Ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Blaze Lovell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a major contracting scandal broke out in Hawaii last year, the mayor of Maui County appeared on television to express outrage and announce a sweeping audit of contracts awarded to a corrupt businessman. But no one told the county auditor, who said he only heard about the audit on the news. In the end, the audit was never completed, and the county’s flawed system for awarding contracts — a system marred by bribery and a lack of competition — remains largely the way it was. Now, as Maui recovers from the devastating wildfires that swept across parts of the island in August and killed at least 99 people, millions of dollars will be spent on rebuilding critical infrastructure using the same flawed contract-monitoring system. The bribery case involving the businessman, Milton Choy, prompted some county officials to begin phasing out the use of sole-source contracts — which are awarded without competitive bidding when officials determine that only one vendor is able to supply a particular good or service — but the practice is still in use in the county.

Persons: Milton Choy Locations: Hawaii, Maui County, Maui

☆ The climate crisis has a price — and it's $391 million a day
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Al Zulkifli | AFP | Getty ImagesDamage from the global climate crisis has amounted to $391 million per day over the past two decades, a report showed. "We find that US$143 billion per year of the costs of extreme events is attributable to climatic change. The research, however, notes that there is an underestimation of the true costs of climate change due to the difficulty of measuring indirect losses. They called for an increase in adaptation policies to minimize these climate-change attributed costs, such as the building of flood protection or improving early warning signal systems heralding extreme weather events. "The planet is far off track from meeting its climate goals," the WMO said in a September report, adding that rising global temperatures have been accompanied by more extreme weather.

Persons: Al Zulkifli, —, Nargis, Fedja Grulovic, Spyros Bakalis, Yuki Iwamura Organizations: AFP, Getty, Nature Communications, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Reuters, U.S . Federal Emergency Management Agency, World Meteorological Organization, WMO, Afp Locations: Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Myanmar, Europe, Russia, Somalia, Prevalje, Slovenia, Pournari, Magoula, Athens, Maui, Lahaina , Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — All of West Maui except for burned-out sections of historic Lahaina will reopen to tourism on Nov. 1 following the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than century, the mayor of Maui County said Monday. Mayor Richard Bissen said he made the move after talking about it with his Lahaina advisory team, the Red Cross and other partners. West Maui has about 11,000 hotel rooms, or about half of Maui's total. Josh Green last month declared West Maui would officially reopen to tourism on Oct. 8 to bring back badly needed jobs and help the economy recover. Residents who have been staying in West Maui hotels and other short-term accommodations after losing their homes in the fire won't lose their lodging, the mayor said.

Persons: Richard Bissen, Josh Green, Bissen, ”, ” Bissen, “ Organizations: Travelers, Hawaii Gov Locations: HONOLULU, West Maui, Lahaina, Maui County, Maui, Hawaii

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Fans decked in red streamed into the Lahainaluna High School football stadium, snacking on nachos and venison chili, bopping to the high school band’s rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” and exchanging long hugs with neighbors and classmates. Tevainui Loft, a 17-year-old tight end and linebacker, grew up watching Lahainaluna football in the stands overlooking his hometown. After the fire, “football was the furthest thing from my mind,” said Garret Tihada, one of the coaches, a 1987 Lahainaluna graduate. Tihada started to talking to players, fellow coaches and community members: “They were saying, ‘We need football back. But knowing that most of his teammates face similar circumstances has helped: “It doesn’t feel like I’m alone in this.”Bula is unsure of his plans after high school.

Persons: “, Caroline, ”, Morgan “ Bula ” Montgomery, Richard Carosso, Luna, Mary, Ann Kobatake, James Lukela, Heather Filikitonga, It’s, “ Young, Keith Amemiya, I’ve, Amemiya, Garret Tihada, Tihada, ’ ”, Bula Montgomery, it's, Tamara Montgomery, Bula, Ai Hironaka, Precious Pante, Dean Rickard, ” ___, Mengshin Lin Organizations: Lahainaluna High School, Lahainaluna, JV, University of Hawaii’s, Baldwin High Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, “, Lahaina, Lahainaluna, Honolulu, Amemiya, Kahului, Kihei

Some are bouncing from hotel room to hotel room, in some cases to make way for the return of tourists who are crucial to the local economy. That’s trickier on Maui, an island of about 150,000 people that's a 30-minute plane ride from the nearest major city, Honolulu. She signed a lease on Wednesday, paying the first month's rent and a deposit using aid money and $2,000 from a cousin. Some landlords wanted as much as $8,000 to $10,000 a month, saying they could get that from tourists, Jachowski said. The agency has identified four sites — three in Lahaina and one in central Maui — near power, water and sewer infrastructure.

Persons: — Charles Nahale, Nahale, ” Nahale, Bob Fenton, ” Fenton, Gail McGovern, Josh Green, Tiffany Teruya, ”, Teruya, Matt Jachowski, Jachowski, —, Fenton, Richard Bissen, Roland Cazimero, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher Organizations: Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Red, Catholic Charities, Maui, Associated Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Lahaina, U.S, Maui, Honolulu, Green

☆ Yes, Maui Is Open. But the Loss of Lahaina May Reshape Tourism.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In Lahaina, in the weeks and months to come, increasing tourism will coexist with ongoing relief efforts. ‘We might be in the way’In the days after the fires, tourism to Maui was in a free fall. Messaging spread on social media for tourists to avoid all of Maui and paralyzed the economy, where tourism accounts for 70 percent of every dollar generated. Last year, about three million visitors spent $5.82 billion on Maui, according to state data. State and local leaders have spent the last two months pleading for tourists to visit.

Persons: who’ve, “, it’s, Josh Green Organizations: ”, CBS Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The death toll for the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century has increased by one, to 99, after Maui County police found additional remains. The remains were recovered on Oct. 12 in Lahaina, police spokesperson Alana Pico said in an email Friday. So far police have identified the remains of 97 people from the Aug. 8 fire that wiped out much of Lahaina, a historic town on Maui's west coast. Powerful winds related to a hurricane passing to Hawaii's south carried embers from house to house and hampered firefighting efforts. More than 2,000 buildings were destroyed, and some 8,000 people were forced to move to hotels and other temporary shelter.

Persons: Alana Pico Organizations: Associated Press Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Maui County, Lahaina, Maui's, Lahaina's, Hawaii's

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — For people around the world, the green leaves that sprouted from a scorched, 150-year-old banyan tree in the heart of devastated Lahaina symbolized hope following Maui’s deadly wildfire this summer. Before colonialism, commercial agriculture and tourism, thousands of breadfruit trees dotted Lahaina; the fire charred all but two of the dozen or so that remained. By contrast, researchers believe breadfruit and kukui nut — now the state tree of Hawaii — were among the many edible plants Polynesian voyagers brought around 1,000 years ago. Efforts to revive the banyan and other important surviving trees have included trucking in water, applying compost extract and testing soil. But replanting breadfruit in urban areas comes with challenges, said Steve Nimz, an arborist on Oahu who has been helping restore Lahaina’s trees.

Persons: landscapers, ”, Noa Kekuewa Lincoln, King Kamehameha, ulu, ” Kekona, Lahaina’s, replanting, Steve Nimz, “, Hokuao Pellegrino, ” Pellegrino, replant, Pellegrino, he's, reintegrating breadfruit, ___ Komenda Organizations: University of Hawaii, Development Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Lahaina, ulu, Maui, Manoa, U.S, India, Lele, Hilo, Lincoln, Oahu, Waikapu, West Maui, “, Tacoma , Washington

Most of the school burned down, but its leaders quickly got classes up and running at Sacred Hearts Mission Church 10 miles (16 kilometers) away. Sacred Hearts and other private schools across the state took in displaced public school students, such as Cuaresma, while offering a year of free tuition. Other students bused more than 45 minutes away to public schools on the other side of Maui or opted for remote classes. Debbie Tau’s two children won’t return to their Lahaina schools because she also is worried the air isn’t safe. Patrick Williams said the first time he saw his son Kupaʻa praying at Sacred Hearts reminded him of his own childhood in Mississippi.

Persons: ”, Cailee Cuaresma, “ I’m, Cuaresma, Tonata Lolesio, “, Lahaina , King Kamehameha III, Nāhiʻenaʻena, Tiffany Teruya, Puʻuwai, Debbie Tau’s, Patrick Williams, ’ ” Williams, Williams, Gabby Suzik, Suzik, ” Suzik, Charlene Ako, Ako, Maile Organizations: Lahainaluna High, Sacred Hearts School, Hearts Mission, Hearts, Workers, Assistance Dogs, Lahaina, Maui Preparatory Academy, Lahaina’s, Maui Prep Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina, Lahaina , King, Kihei, COVID, Mississippi, Asuncion, Waiola

Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary electric utility company, has acknowledged its power lines started a wildfire on Maui that morning. One caller said cars were being routed into a gated parking lot and were forced to turn around. A third caller told dispatchers they needed to open a road on the south side of town, warning that the blocked exit would result in people dying. One dispatcher told a caller stuck in traffic that emergency workers were busy “because Lahaina has a couple of house fires going on right now.”“If you’re safe, you need to stay there,” she said. Associated Press writers Lisa Baumann in Seattle; Chris Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed.

Persons: ”, “, “ It’s, Alana Pico, Hale, cinders, we’ve, ‘, We’re, Mahina Martin, ” Martin, ” ____ Lauer, Johnson, Lisa Baumann, Chris Keller, Claire Rush Organizations: Associated Press, Electric, Hawaiian Electric, Flames, Maui Police Department, AP, Lahaina Civic Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boone, Boise , Idaho, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Portland , Oregon

___4:41 p.m.A man called 911 saying he was seeking refuge in a big rig truck that he came across near the Pioneer Mill Smokestack just off Lahainaluna Road. The dispatcher asked if he could drive the rig to get away from the fire. “Do you think they’re there still,” the dispatcher asked. ___4:49 p.m.A man called to say he and his wife were trapped because she couldn’t get down the four flights of stairs in their apartment building. ___4:56 p.m.A dispatcher briefly chastised one man when he called to report his elderly parents were stuck in their burning home.

Persons: “ Ma’am, “ I’m, “, Jesus Christ, ”, Shrieks, couldn’t, they’re, “ We’ve, honking, I’m, we’ve, ‘, We’re, ’ Organizations: Associated Press, AP, Baker, Vehicles, Lahaina Civic Center Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Aki, sobs, Lahainaluna, ”

CNN —The Maui County Council has voted unanimously in favor of a resolution urging Hawaii’s governor to delay the October 8 reopening of West Maui to tourism. Deadly wildfires that broke out in West Maui in early August severely damaged the historic town of Lahaina, killing 97 people and destroying hundreds of residents’ homes. Josh Green previously announced state officials were looking to reopen West Maui beginning Sunday. Josh Green to delay plans to reopen a portion of West Maui to tourism. Green said in a statement Saturday many have asked about the right time to welcome visitors to West Maui.

Persons: Keani Rawlins, Fernandez, “, ” Rawlins, Josh Green, ” Green, Green, Kiakona, ” Kiakona, Tamara Paltin, Audrey McAvoy, Paltin, Richard Bissen Organizations: CNN, ”, Hawaii Gov, Residents, Hawaii Locations: Maui County, West Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui

Five hotels in West Maui were accepting reservations again, according to their websites and the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association. Many local residents have objected to resuming tourism in West Maui, which includes Lahaina town and a stretch of coastline to the north. Thousands of tourists staying in beachfront hotels north of the burn zone left Maui in the days after the fire. Some 11,000 hotel rooms in West Maui have since either sat empty or housed displaced Lahaina residents under a program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross. Four of the five reopening hotels were in the northernmost section of West Maui, including the Ritz-Carlton at Kapalua.

Persons: Josh Green, Green, Laura Paulson, Richard Bissen, ” Bissen, Bissen, “, ” Paulson Organizations: Maui, Lodging Association, Hawaii, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Wellness, Resilience, Ritz, Carlton Locations: HONOLULU, Maui, Lahaina, West Maui, Maui County, Paia, Maui's, Hana, Kapalua

☆ Parts of West Maui to reopen to tourists on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Parts of West Maui are still on track to begin a phased reopening to tourists starting Sunday, October 8 – but the action comes with some controversy. ET Friday, the phased reopening was still on schedule according to the Hawai‘i Visitors & Convention Bureau and the office of Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen. Here’s where things stand for the tourism-reliant island heading into the weekend:What’s opening on MauiAreas of West Maui – including Nāpili, Kāʻanapali, Honokōwai and Kapalua – are part of the reopening, according the Hawai‘i Visitors & Convention Bureau. “We advise travelers to check with the individual accommodations in West Maui for their reopening plans,” the Visitors Bureau said. Also, other Hawaiian islands – Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Lānaʻi, and Hawai‘i Island – have been welcoming visitors all along.

Persons: Josh Green, Richard Bissen, Carlton Maui, Kahana Villa Organizations: CNN, Hawaii Gov, Hawai‘i Visitors, Convention Bureau, Visitors, Convention, Ritz, Carlton, Kahana, Hyatt, Visitors Bureau, Bureau Locations: West Maui, Lahaina, Maui County, Maui, Kapalua, Mahinahina, Royal Lahaina, ”, “ County

☆ Wildfires are getting worse. Check out the pitch deck that landed climate startup Vibrant Planet $15 million from backers like Microsoft to use AI to manage the risk.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A California-based startup using artificial intelligence and machine learning for land management and climate-risk analysis has raised $15 million in Series A funding. Vibrant Planet, which was founded in 2020, offers a data platform to help landowners figure out how to restore ecosystems and manage against the risk of wildfires. Along with rising temperatures, poor land planning and risk mitigation strategies are also to blame for raging wildfires, according to Vibrant Planet CEO Allison Wolff. The land management platform includes real-time scenario planning. Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund, Citi Ventures, Day One Ventures, SIG Climate, and Globivest also participated in the round.

Persons: Allison Wolff, Wolff, Scott Conway, Netflix's, Neil Hunt, Guy Bayes, Globivest Organizations: Netflix, eBay, Google, Integrity, Innovation Fund, Citi Ventures, One Ventures, SIG, NASA, USDA Smart Commodities Locations: California, Europe, Canada, Chile, Lahaina, Maui

There are businesses still functional ... That’s a public health issue,” Koger continued, adding that there are also significant “cultural concerns” associated with the debris removal. The debris removal not only is occurring on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but Maui has no landfills certified to take hazardous waste. Cultural monitors, who are Native Hawaiians from Maui, are also accompanying the EPA and eventually the Corps during the cleanup. The Corps said plans are being worked out to move debris to a temporary site then eventually to permanent disposal sites in Maui County. Even so, Maui County Council Vice-Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura often hears from many anxious residents looking to return and build a new home.

Persons: ”, Cory Koger, ” Koger, Steve Calanog, King Kamehameha, ” Calanog, Micah Kamohoali’i, Wayne Tanaka, Yuki Lei Sugimura, “, Michael Casey Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, West Coast ., National Park Service, Hawaii Department of Health, Corps, Information Center, Sierra Club of Hawaii, “, AP Locations: Maui, Kula, Lahaina, Paradise, California, Oregon , Colorado, New Mexico, they’re, That’s, Oregon, West Coast, Hawaii, Lahaina Hongwanji, United States, Maui County, Central Maui

HONOLULU (AP) — A woman who escaped Hawaii’s Lahaina wildfire by running through a flaming field has died after spending more than seven weeks in a hospital burn unit. Laurie Allen died Friday at Straub Medical Center in Honolulu, according to a gofundme page set up for her and her husband, Perry Allen. Her heart was tired, and she was ready,” her sister-in-law, Penny Allen Hood, wrote on the website. Allen was among at least 98 people killed by the fire Aug. 8 that devastated historic Lahaina on the west coast of Maui. Allen got out of the car and fled 100 yards (91 meters) across a field of burning grass.

Persons: —, Laurie Allen, Perry Allen, “ Laurie, Penny Allen Hood, Allen, Hood, Laurie —, ” Hood Organizations: Straub Medical, PT Clinic, Authorities, Nonprofit Locations: HONOLULU, Honolulu, Lahaina, Maui, U.S

Here are the key takeaways of an Associated Press investigation into the probe:WHAT DO THEY THINK HAPPENED? Investigators led by the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Maui County have declined to comment on specifics of the probe. They included a heavily charred, hollowed 4-foot-tall stump of a utility pole, two heavily burned trees and the remains of an old car tire. Photos taken after the blaze show charred foliage in the utility’s right-of-way still more than 10 feet high. The utility instead sought to shift the blame to Maui County fire officials for what it believes was their premature, false claim that they had extinguished the first fire.

Persons: ”, Balagso, couldn’t, Munro Tulloch Organizations: Associated Press, Co, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Press, AP, Electric Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Maui County

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