Maui pilot returns 1 year after deadly wildfires describing 'absence of the entire town'
Flying over historic Lahaina for the first time in more than a year, pilot Richard Olsten said he was still struck by the devastation and what he didn't see. Aug. 8 marked one year since the Maui brush fires started, ultimately killing 102 people.
'Leveled': Helicopter pilot returns to Maui 1 year after deadly wildfires
Air Maui Helicopters Director of Operations Richard Olsten flew over Lahaina for the first time after the deadly wildfires killed more than 100 people one year ago. When the wildfires started, Olsten's aerial images were some of the first to show the devastating fires burning.
LAHAINA, Hawaii – More than one year after deadly brush fires destroyed entire neighborhoods in Maui, many who witnessed the extreme weather event continue to cope with what happened in August 2023 – some even returning for the first time.
Air Maui Helicopters Director of Operations Richard Olsten was in the air over Maui in August 2023 when wind-whipped fires raged across the island. He took to the sky again last week to see the community forever changed by the natural disaster.
FUTURE OF LAHAINA REMAINS UNCERTAIN ONE YEAR AFTER DEADLY HAWAII FIRES
After flying over historic Lahaina for the first time in over a year, Olsten said he was still struck by what he didn't see.
An aerial view of vegetation regrowth amid areas destroyed or damaged by the Lahaina wildfire on August 4, 2024 in Lahaina, Hawaii. August 8 marks the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires which killed 102 people and devastated the historic community of Lahaina in West Maui. Plaintiffs involved in the Lahaina wildfire lawsuits against the government and utilities have reached a $4 billion global settlement of claims. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
"Although there were no burning buildings or rubble left there. There was still the absence of the entire town of Lahaina and all the buildings and the historic center area, all of it being gone," he said. "The buildings were just leveled, and they put gravel down on the lots for the dust, but it was still a great impact and very saddening and devastating to see that even a year later."
Between Aug. 8 and Aug. 12, 2023, wildfires destroyed the coastal town of Lahaina and killed at least 100 people. When the fires first started, it was hard to understand how quickly the flames were consuming land at highway speeds. A federal report found the fires quickly overwhelmed first responders because of dry vegetation, Maui’s unique landscape and 70-mph wind gusts.
MAUI WILDFIRE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS HEROICS OF FIREFIGHTERS DURING DEADLY WIND-WHIPPED FIRESTORM
Communications from one side of the island to the other were also down because of power outages, which is why Olsten didn't expect to see what he did when he told the owners of Air Maui Helicopters he wanted to check out the fire area.
"We just assumed it was a normal brush fires, not the houses and buildings were burning, but there was no communication," he remembers. "Nobody on this side of the island had a clue."
An aerial view of destroyed and damaged cars (L) next to lots which have been cleared of wildfire debris, covered in gray gravel, on August 4, 2024 in Lahaina, Hawaii. August 8 marks the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires which killed 102 people and devastated the historic community of Lahaina in West Maui. Plaintiffs involved in the Lahaina wildfire lawsuits against the government and utilities have reached a $4 billion global settlement of claims. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
During the fires, aerial images from pilots like Olsten provided crucial context for the extent of the devastation. Those images helped spread awareness of the seriousness of the Maui fires to the other islands and the mainland.
"When we approached Lahaina from the south in the helicopter, we were just we were speechless," Olsten recalled. "We couldn’t even process that. Even when we came back and landed after the flight, we just looked at each other with tears in our eyes."
People gather at a public hillside memorial to Lahaina wildfire victims on August 7, 2024 in Lahaina, Hawaii. August 8 marks the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires which killed 102 people and devastated the historic community of Lahaina in West Maui. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Along with processing the trauma, survivors are trying to rebuild or find new homes. The Maui brush fires destroyed more than 2,170 structures, many of which were homes.
Maui County is hosting a series of remembrance events to honor the 102 lives lost to the fires.