LAHAINA FIRE Recovery Update - December 2023 DRONE Video of Entire BURN-ZONE 

The extent of the damage is unfathomable. Your drone work is exceptional and does a better job of illustrating the devastation amongst the beauty that is Maui than anything else out there. Thank you for documenting this and providing this for all of us to see.

I can’t imagine what pain, grief and sadness the people of Lahaina have endured. Prayers for you all in your recovery efforts.

First and foremost, thank you for making these videos and keeping us informed. Sadly, the news stations here in the 48 do not give any updates. The scenario in your drone videos remind me of footage after strong tornados here in the South. Whole neighborhoods in shambles and then pristine houses with not a hint of damage. My heart goes out to you and the people of Lahaina.

My brother is over there with his church to “sift through the ashes” to try & recover more remains of those souls that are still missing. This fire & the damage it has done is more than my small mind can take in. What a monstrous horrible tragedy, I can’t even imagine the heartbreak for everyone involved. I’m so sorry for everyone’s loss😢

Wow! The fire damage was far more widespread than I ever realized

I lost my house in Santa Barbara to a wildfire and it was four years of hell. And we have all of the same stories. Government agencies who said they were prepared but weren't. Evacuation and access nightmares. Local building departments who said they would streamline permits but didn't. Hazardous materials delays. Insurance companies who took out ads to say they were there to help while they screwed me over. Incompetent contractors overcharging me and then the bank no longer accepting my current level of insurance. Surviving the wildfire was the easy part. And dealing with all your neighbors who prefer to Play the blame game rather than show some love and dig your heels in and get some damn work done was also extremely frustrating. Not to mention the wacko conspiracy theorists, they are the worst! I send my love and hopes that you guys can get back on your feet

It’s been 5 years since the Camp fire in Paradise, CA and we are still cleaning up. It is a long and painful process.

This is the best drone update I have seen. I had no idea that so many neighborhoods, over such a long distance, were destroyed. The extent of damage and loss of life is numbing.

I visited Lahaina as a little girl back in 2016 while on summer vacation with my parents. Our rental condo was in Kaanapali, about 15 minutes directly north of Lahaina, but we visited the town multiple times. My mom and I have pictures of the banyan tree. My parents and I shopped at the stores, ate at the restaurants and cafés, and walked on the beach. That experience makes this wildfire much closer to my heart than it would have been had I not made that trip. Lahaina was such a beautiful, welcoming, friendly town. Now it lies in ruins and ashes. My condolences to all the families and people affected by this disaster.

Years ago when Mount Saint Helens blew, we lived in Yakima WA which received the main dump of the ash from its first eruption. Much of the ash was dumped in a large field area which eventually was developed into a large park area which also has city league ball games, and even a big skateboard park. The ash looks so much like our ash fall from Saint Helens. It’s sort of a gentle reminder of a frightening time when we didn’t know whether we would live or not, truly. You may know how that is. Our first blast of ash was just like that black, black of smoke of Lahaina burning. Our skies were black like that all day and night and into the next day. You didn’t know if you would be able to breathe.

This video reminds me so much of the Camp Fire. While the Camp Fire destroyed more structures, the loss of life there in Lahaina was heart breaking. One thing I have learned, is that recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. We are still struggling with some aspects of the rebuild process (landscaping!) and we’ve been in our house for 2 years, and it’s been 5 years since the fire. Hang in there! You will recover, and things will be better, although different than from before.

Jesse, Without a doubt, you've captured the best high quality drone video of the devastation. Thanks for your efforts. We all look forward to future updates from you.

Knowing that I was there on vacation in March 2023, this video shows just how surreal it is!! So devastating!! Xoxo

Man its like the world moved on from this. I hadn't forgotten, just hadn't been updated on it in about 2 months. Thank you for providing such detailed footage. Our whole family grew up vacationing in Lahaina, and I took my wife back in 2015 for Christmas. It was her first time to Hawaii. She absolutely loved the Wharf area, with the big Banyan tree. There was a little Hawaiian ice place across the street, she went every single day we were there. We both honed right in on that spot during this fly over, crazy to see it all in ashes now.

I LOVE Maui and was SO SAD when this all took place! I cannot believe the extent of the damage there! Thank you for your wonderful drone footage...it puts a whole new perspective on the extent of the fire.

Lahaina has changed so much since I was there. Now so much has been lost. It’s an historic event that nobody wants to go through. Thank you for these videos. My heart goes out to all who have to endure this and what’s to come with the cleanup. I can’t imagine what the air quality will be when they start removing the ashes. Prayers for Lahaina.

Mahalo Jesse for your nice drone work. I volunteered in Lahaina a couple months ago and sifted through ashes to help homeowners find belongings - it was heartbreaking and rewarding work. We only worked homes at which the EPA had already removed items like propane tanks and fuel cans but the ashes hold many dangers such as arsenic, cyanide, lead and other chemicals detrimental to health (I am very concerned about the long-term health effects of the locals as the wind disperses the ash). When you are on the ground working at a home site you do not get the true picture of how vast the fire was so your video was really dramatic and eye opening to me. I do believe that eventually beauty will come from ashes - Lahaina strong!

This is the first drone video of the burn zone I have seen. I can tell there has been a lot of clean up. There are very few, if any, burned out vehicles. The streets are passable. It is not like Maui is a huge metropolitan area with massive resources available, or a drive's away from another state. I think the progress the people of Maui have made is amazing.,

Drones are amazing, I greatly appreciate you documenting the unimaginable devastation that occurred. I hope you will continue to document the progress as you keep us informed.

We were victims of the Labor Day 2020 wildfire that took out Detroit, Oregon. We moved to Maui, but a friend from Detroit, OR has kept in contact with us and let us know that it took them 32 months before they were able rebuild.

Appreciate your continued efforts in documenting the Maui recovery. It will take years for the town to recover. We just had the five year anniversary of our local Malibu / Topanga wildfires and I’d say a lot of progress has been made but a lot of lots remain unbuilt.

Visited Lahaina in 2018. It was my favorite stop in Hawaii. Nice and relaxed, no rush. Saw Mick Fleetwood playing at his bar (Fleetwood's is nothing but ash), had some good laughs with friends wandering the historical area and did a double take at the Banyan tree itself. Never knew it was there until then and glad it has survived. Spent a long evening at the Old Lahaina Luau to cap our visit. Glad to see that survived too. But wow, so much gone. It's unreal. Here's hoping Lahaina grows back strong.

Thank you for the updates. Even if you don't live there You loved to visit and appreciate the area. I do have family and friends that live there.. All of our hearts have been broken.

Thank you Jesse, my wife and I are Canadian tourists who have visited Lahaina many times. As recently as 2 years ago. We do appreciate the thorough drone flights you made. It gives us a much better appreciation of the extent of the damage done to such a beautiful place. We could not fathom how some buildings survived amidst such desctruction. It's also wonderfull to the spirit of the people of Maui who are back working on the site. Again thank you and good luck in the future.

Jesse, thank you for this. Most of the service trucks seen in the video are utility companies. Most likely power and communication. In a couple of the shots you could see trailers loaded with new utility poles. It's a long expensive process because poles, overhead wire and cable, transformers and switch gear have to be replace. Peace be with all the residents.

I used to live and work in Lahaina. Mahalo for such vital footage and commentary on the cleanup and recovery of this devastating fire.

Time stamp 3:00 Lahaina shores my wife & I have stayed there a few times in the past 10 years, next door (N) we had our first Luau were the boats would go out in the Ocean, this was our first vacation before we got married...now nearly 20 years ago. We made the walk to downtown Lahaina many times from Lahaina shores...very sad to see the destruction...Thanks Jesse for your video, best wishes to all in Lahaina. Crazy to see what a fire can destroy in a matter of hours...happy to hear that the Banyan tree is going to survive...Aloha...

Our prayers and best wishes to all of Lahaina in their recovery from this disaster!

Jesse...thanks for your good pics. I was last there in 2022. This morning I send an email to Maui Jim's and decided to do some video ground (2019 footage) and aeriel work (semi-current) with Google Maps; glad to find your drone footage. Thankful for the structures that are still standing and okay. Hurting for the lives lost and the many structures that are damaged/gone; praying as recovery continues. Blessings...

Thanks for the updates and hope you continue to do it every once in a while.

Thank you for making this drone video. Visited Lahaina multiple times over the years and this just breaks my heart.

Great footage and update. Wow... prayers for all of these communities.

Thank you Jesse for fliming this as many of us on the mainland thought it was just downtown by the water that was affected. Now we all can see the sad number of homes lost to. Sending positive energy to everyone there.

I had no idea the extent of the fire. I’m utterly saddened. All the best to everyone that was affected with the long road to recovery.

Thank You for this well done, comprehensive drone coverage! Much appreciated!

Jesse, As a prior resident of Honolulu and frequent visitor to Lahaina, it was very interesting to see your aerial view of the damage. Nice job and I appreciate your effort.

Thank you so much for your videos and for doing it in such a respectful way

Thank you for making this video. A friend of ours has been serving with Texas Baptist Men in Lahaina for two weeks, doing ash-out for the local residents. The team returns to the mainland December 13. Our hearts are heavy over the devastation; hopeful for the future.

Thank you so much! I cannot imagine these homeowners and business owners coming back and seeing what has been lost. How scary it must have been. I am so sorry to all who have lost in this fire.♥

From my experience with Hurricane and tornado recoveries, the trucks with boom lifts are, indeed, working on re-establishing electrical service. This is often one of the first things that happens after a disaster like this, as electrical service is critical to rebuilding. They typically start working at the same time as the EPA cleanup crews.

Thank you for posting this. I lived in Lahaina 40 something years ago. We vacation in Kaanapali every January. We were at banyan tree, and went through the courthouse museum. So sad it’s all gone now.

Good UPDATE Mr.Wald with a very precise and detailed narration, and great aerial photography... Your being in business in Lahaina, particularly real estate I can well understand your focus being on the future recovery and not the past... Of course that's totally contrary to the people of Maui and the rest of the world who mostly believe what happened here was no "natural" wildfire! So many RU-vid videos including all yours, clearly show melted cars as with what happened in northern California and on 9/11 in New York... these videos clearly show how so many homes were completely destroyed and even reducing concrete to powder whilst nearby trees were untouched. Not focusing on the past is exactly what the unaccountable authorities have been doing from day one and continue to do, again just like 9/11. As for the time-line to remove debris it's not realistic in any way, and as for rebuilding that's going to be years later without many former residents who will have no option to sell to the usual carpetbaggers who descended on them from the very beginning. FEMA will not help residents who have insurance, and the insurance companies paying the absolute minimums they can get away with, citing code violations to greatly lower what they should be paying. Again, I well appreciate the Catch-22 position a Maui businessman like yourself is in, if it were only a natural wildfire disaster and not a blatantly obvious mass murder/land grabbing CRIME SCENE! By only focusing on the future guarantees this will happen again, and the Maui victims know already that the state and federal government have completely betrayed them and been complicit in this monumental "day of infamy" crime! Notice it's dedicated, good hearted and decent people like yourself who post these videos and not the authorities...

Thank you Jesse for this update. I'm in Canada and followed this closely. So much distruction everywhere... we need to be aware and take care of each other. 🙏

I’ve and my family have been their several times and we view this loss as a nation treasure which will take on a new life that will never be the same but yet enjoyed again by many! Thanks for the update and the ability to subscribe.

Thank you for including all of Puamana. 🙏🏻❤️

Thank you for this. As a person who has never visited Lahaina, just seeing your video is shocking and amazing. The amazing portion to me is how at many locations, the fire "jumped" over some houses/buildings and yet devastated others directly adjacent. Luck? Construction materials? God's hands?

We appreciate you covering all of the burned areas so well. Thank you! We’ll look forward to your upcoming videos

Thank you for this very informative video. Praying for the cleanup and rebuild.

Thanks for taking the time to record this and for presenting it in such a balanced and appropriate manner.

It seems our country, as a whole has a very short attention span. The devastation and reconstruction effort is never mentioned in the main stream media. Thank you for keeping this alive in the hearts and minds of so many who care and are concerned for the people this impacted. I’ll be sure to watch your updates. Thanks.

Thank you for showing us. We never hear about Maui anymore 😢 I never realized how far the fire was. Very interesting. I am so sorry for your loss. 🙏🏻 😢

The last time I was in Maui (Kaanapali and Lahaina) was for my honeymoon in 1997. This brings tears to my eyes. So very sad to see the extent of the devastation. Fantastic video. 😢

Thank you for putting this out there! I am going to share with my FB friends (many of whom have visited Lahaina over the years). I agree with you regarding what the focus is for many regarding this tragic fire. It will be good to see your future drone videos as this area is healed and rejuvenated. Still, prayers and heartfelt thoughts for those who have lost so much in the Lahaina community.

Awesome project! You have a 10 year project ahead of you A chronicle of recovery. My best wishes and my heart goes out to all you residents.

Still brings tears. Thank you for sharing. Glad you and your home are safe.😔

Hi Jesse: Thank you so much for documenting the progress thus far in Lahaina Town and the surrounding areas. My husband & I have been visiting Maui for 40 years and consider it our second home. We were devastated to see the destruction but it is encouraging to see the progress that is being made to clearing the debris and start the rebuilding process. We appreciate all of the time you are dedicating to this effort and look forward to updates as they become available. Ke Akua Hoomaikai Oe.

Hi Jesse, I just came across your channel and would just like to say thank you for posting these updates. Although I have never been to Maui myself, I did live on Oahu for 5 or 6 years and like following the recovery of Lahaina. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be in the news very much anymore so your videos are nice to see. The videos show the true devastation that the news just did not cover. I know it is sad, so hopefully your recovery video footage will keep people's hopes up. Watching your videos amazes me how so much destruction is shown, yet there are buildings that remain untouched surprisingly. The more information you can talk about as your drone captures the recovery the more interesting it is as it provides more context to your video. No one has even mentioned that the first priority was hazmat cleanup, so your insight is very appreciated. Take care and I will be checking back as you post more progress. Thank you again.

Jesse, thank you for the video and the information. We are long-time visitors to Maui, and seeing the fire destruction has been so heartbreaking. We look forward to seeing the process of rebuilding historic Lahaina town and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Thank you so much Jesse. It is important to move forward and keep hope alive that one day we will all return to see the new Lahaina with all of the community citizens that we love and are pulling for. #LahainaStrong

Thank you for the extensive drone footage of Lahaina. It’s so hard to believe that the fire caused such widespread devastation. My prayers are with the people of Lahaina that they will have the strength and faith to put their lives slowly back together. Thank you again Jesse for having such a generous spirit.

We visited Lahaina four years ago. Thank you for posting these videos. It's a great way to gauge the progress. I spent 30 years in the electric/gas/water utility sector. Since you asked, the trucks are electric-utility boom-trucks/aka bucket-trucks; restoring power (and other utilities) is an important first-step to facilitate the recovery.

Thank you, Jesse, for your videos and your focus on what's to come. I appreciate your matter-of-fact delivery of the information - no judgement - no accusations. Please keep up the fine work.

You do an amazing job with your drone and your commentary. I like that your focus is on solutions and moving forward. Thank you, Claudia

This was excellent coverage, very informative and delivered in a calm measured voice with no unnecessary dramatics. Well done, and thank you.

I know these videos are very painful for many to watch because of the tragic nature of the Lahaina fire, but having these videos to show the progress of restoration of Lahaina will be healing. I wish I could personally be there to help, but that is not possible. My hopes are that the historic nature of the community is maintained. I don't want to see any big resorts come in and take over the area. Lahaina is to be restored for the Lahaina residents.

Hi Jesse. Thank you so much for chronicling the Lahaina fire for the rest of us. Until I saw your videos the scope and expanse of the destruction was unknown to me. These videos certainly put things more into perspective. From what I could tell of the work trucks that you mentioned, apart from the ones that appeared to be working on the cellular system, most of them appeared to be utility company line trucks. I saw what appeared to be new electric distribution poles with nice, shiny new cables installed. One of the first things that needs to be present in any new, or rebuild, project is electricity. It appears that the main distribution system has largely been rebuilt so the power will be there for when rebuilding actually begins. Not to mention, it appears that the electric grid that serves Lahaina also serves surrounding areas, so getting the distribution system rebuilt is a priority for many reasons.

Everything we knew and loved about Lahaina on our many visits over more than 20 years has been lost. Thank you for your thoughtful and hopeful presentation. We look forward to your updates as this wonderful community strives to recover. Jim

Thank you so much for doing this Jesse. This is very informative and I love the way you're focusing the positive aspect of a long recovery.

Thank you for the updates by drone. When I listened to your narration, I detected an accent that was familiar...looking at your info on line made me smile. I spent the first 22 years of my life in Minnesota, also spent 17 years in Wisconsin. Some things stick in one's mind, like recognizing accents. Aloha, and Mahalo.

Your videos give a really clear picture of what burned and what was spared. I visited Lahaina and usually stayed at Lahaina Roads Condos twice a year from 1996 to 2012 and then less often, but Lahaina has a big place in my heart and memories. Somehow seeing it with sunshine, the ocean and some green, it looked a little more hopeful in your video. Looking forward to your next one. (This comment by subscriber's partner)

Thank you for keeping us updated!

This is an outstanding video. Thank you for taking the time to help educate us in the mainland as to how things are recovering and progressing. My prayers to ALL there

Aloha Jesse! 6:35 AM Wednesday, and watched this latest video. Mahalo for sharing! I live in Honokowai and no access to the burn area except the malls. I appreciate your level voice as you describe the view for the rest of the world. I am encouraged to see trees and bushes greening again. I’m sharing video to my family in Illinois. They are very sad about Lahaina.

When we see how Lahaina is being rebuild, we will be able to draw conclusions on how and who the fire started. As long as the people in charge remain the same, it could become another nightmare...

Thank you for all your time and hard work. Much appreciated.

Having experienced tornado destruction sympathy is all I have as we visited your area a few years ago and know your loss. Thank you for this work. Looking forward to the new beauty. Memories are the flowers of life.

Oh my.... Thank you so much for this video...I see our house did not burn! we owned the house on the corner of Aleo and Ilakahe, ..not the one with the pool, the other. it has been added onto since we sold it, it is much bigger and nicer. I am so very happy for the family that own it now.. God bless them !. my heart breaks for all those that were our neighbors and all of lahaina that lost their homes and businesses. I cherish our good memories. Our girls walked to Sacred Hearts School.

Thank you so much for sharing and showing this information. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tragedy. Maui is such a heavenly place. It's so beautiful, and has such beautiful people. I can't fathom the heartbreak they must be dealing with. Thank you again. God bless everyone, including you and yours.

Thank you, Jesse, for your drone footage. As a lover of Maui, my heart is broken for all the people that have been affected and for the beauty that is gone.

Thanks for doing this. While I am not a resident, my wife and I have been there 5 times over the years and it was a favorite familiar spot to us. It hurt as I watched the news of the fires and see the aftermath of the places and people we saw when there.

This video is sad, but also amazing. I can't even imagine the thoughts that were going through people's minds at the time it was burning. I would have thought that the world was ending 😢 Didn't realize it was such a large area that caught fire.

Really appreciate your update. My family and I love Lahaina and our hearts broke when we saw what happened. I wish there was something I could do to help the recovery process (other than financial donations that is).

Thank you for sharing. Went to Lahaina two years on vacation and really fell in love with the place. Especially the birds chirping and living under the Banyan trees. Long live Lahaina.

Thank you for explaining that the recovery is in phases. I was one of the ones that couldn’t understand why there was so little progress, but now I see why. I’m now a subscriber to your channel.

Thank you for what you’re doing!❤

Thank you for posting! I was able to see my parents house. Good to see signs of life and hear about the progress being in phase 2. I hope they come up with longer term (2-4 years) housing solutions for families that lost their homes. 🙏

Hi Jesse! I live over 5000 miles away, but visited West Maui often. It feels like a 2nd home to me. Thank you, Jesse, for keeping us updated & keeping Lahaina in the public’s eyes.

Grateful for your drone footage and burn zone updates. Merry Christmas 🎄🎄❤️❤️

Thank you for this update. Much appreciated! Especially without all of the flap-trap and conspiracy theories! Will be sharing with others.💙🙏

So appreciative of this aerial footage, for it gives such an incredible view of the vast, horrific damage-truly heart wrenching to see. The amount of debris and clean up seems insurmountable right now, but praying that in time it can be cleared and a new beginning can begin. This truly has to be about the biggest disaster in recent memory. Not unlike tornado damage, but the immense territory this fire covered is beyond the pale. Our hearts are with all from Lahaina Town-it is just unbelievable what you all have suffered.😔

Mahalo,, very respectful and thoughtful. Your commentary was much appreciated.

Thanks for the great footage, We appreciate that you talk about the area moving forward. A drone is a wonderful thing.

Thank you Jesse. It is a huge undertaking to excavate just one lot, let alone thousands. If they are saying one year, it will likely be two, but I hope not. I heard the Wo Hing Temple will be rebuilt. The Jodo Mission and Pioneer Inn were huge losses, as well as the old Courthouse, Baldwin Home and Seamans’ Hospital. So much and so many carried over the rainbow bridge.

I'm fascinated by current images of Lahaina. I was stationed at Pearl in '80-86 and went to Lahaina often. Back then it seemed 100% for tourists; eg. if there was a Foodland or Safeway around, nobody mentioned it to me. The "Strip" started at Lahaina Shores Condo/hotel (a novelty then) and extended a couple of blocks past The Banyan and the missionary house across the street. George (Kioki) Benson had a bar next to the old Green hotel. Everything else was leis, souvenirs and shave ice. If you headed mauka, NONE of those roads were paved; no "bump ahead" signs. You could only go maybe three "blocks" and there was nothing but farm fields (bare land). I used to wonder where the "regular" people lived, shopped etc. I was under the impression in "the Valley." In any event it was pretty Hippie back then and I don't recall most of that development being there. Fascinating! It's almost like tourists who used to come to Honolulu and lament thar they knew the place when people lived in grass shacks.

Thank you so much for your drone work and keeping all people informed of what is happening.

Such a noble project - thank you, Jesse!

A good narration, and drone work of this disaster. The damage is just incomprehensible! So very sad.

Thanks so much for this balanced, thorough tour of the devastation. I live Upcountry and can’t bring myself to go to the west side. This helps a lot and I look forward to progress. But all of next year for debris removal-UGH.

I visited Maui for the first time in 2018, stayed at the Hyatt Regency and saw a show at the Old Lahaina Luau. I also had a burger at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers at Lahaina Gateway. I hope most of Lahaina is rebuilt in the next 5 to 8 years and most of the residents are able return to their new homes. Mahalo for the drone footage.

Thanks for this. We were there, vacationing just a year before. Our happy memories were destroyed by the fire. At least not our homes. So very sorry for all of the loss.