Rebuilding Lahaina: A Year After the Fire

Nearly a year after a devastating wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, progress is being made towards rebuilding. Kim Ball and Gene Milne are among the first to start construction on their properties. While challenges remain, the community's resilience and efforts are a beacon of hope for those affected.

Nearly a year after wind-whipped flames tore through Kim Ball's Hawaii community, the empty lot where his house once stood now symbolizes the progress toward rebuilding after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The fire destroyed thousands of homes and killed 102 people in Lahaina.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," Ball greeted a van full of Hawaii reporters invited by Maui County officials to tour the fire-ravaged sites. Gravel covering lots on his street indicates cleared properties, while pockets of green poke through the charred vegetation.

Speaking over heavy equipment noise, Ball explained how he quickly secured a building permit because his home was relatively new. Nearby, on Malanai Street, Gene Milne's property marks the first to start construction. His partially completed home had open permits when the fire hit.

"I was in complete denial that the fire would ever reach my home," Milne recalled. Seeing the new walls is "extremely healing," he said. Using insurance money, he's looking forward to enjoying Maui once again. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen highlighted the construction as a milestone, encouraging the rest of the community to follow suit.

Rebuilding Lahaina is a complex, long-term process, with 23 residential building permits approved and 70 more under review. Other stops on the tour included a former outlet mall and a 151-year-old banyan tree now greener thanks to preservation efforts.

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