After nearly two years, the state’s investigation into government response to the deadly Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire has concluded, with future wildfire planning and coordination efforts transitioning to the newly established state fire marshal’s office and the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, state Attorney General Anne Lopez announced Thursday.
“Shortly after the August 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, Governor Josh Green, M.D., and I agreed that understanding how the state and county agencies responded during and in the immediate aftermath was crucial to secure the safety of the residents and visitors now and into the future,” Lopez wrote in a statement.
The 2023 wind-driven wildfires that swept through Lahaina and Upcountry Maui killed 102 people, destroyed more than 2,000 structures, caused $5.5 billion in damage and displaced thousands in one of the state’s deadliest catastrophies.
In October of 2024, nearly 14 months after the fires, the Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives said the blaze was started by fallen power lines surrounded by overgrown vegetation on Lahainaluna Road. Red-flag warnings had been issued in dry, hazardous conditions with dangerous winds from a passing storm that brought 60 mph gusts.
In the wake of the devastating disaster, questions arose about how the crisis was handled by various government agencies, including Maui County fire and police personnel, and the state Emergency Management Agency. The Lahaina disaster led to the resignation of then-Maui Emergency Management Administrator Herman Andaya and was one of the reasons Green ordered a formal review into the disaster response by the state attorney general’s office.
The state investigation that began Aug. 11, 2023, did not uncover any criminal activity and state officials have said Hawaii does not have any criminal statutes applicable to what happened. A $4 billion global agreement was put forth to settle the hundreds of lawsuits filed against Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, the state, large landowners and other defendants by victims’ families, survivors, property owners and other plaintiffs.
Lopez contracted the Fire Safety Research Institute — part of the nonprofit UL Research Institutes — to handle the state investigation into the response to the fatal fires.
The investigation included a three-phase analysis of how state and county agencies responded, along with science-based recommendations for improving the state’s wildfire preparedness and response.
FSRI was selected for its ability to deliver an “objective, evidence-based understanding of the response of state and county agencies and provide recommendations and best practices for Hawaii going forward,” Lopez said in a news release.
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In April 2024, FSRI released the Lahaina Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report (Phase 1), which provided a minute-by-minute account of actions taken by government agencies. The second report, the Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report (Phase 2), released in September 2024, examined preparedness efforts, the influence of weather on infrastructure, and the presence of other fires on Maui.
As outlined in the news release, that report identified 84 findings and 140 recommendations.
The department also made public about 850 gigabytes of data including images, audio and documents related to the fire, with only personal identifying information and images of deceased people deleted.
In January, FSRI released the Forward-Looking Report (Phase 3), which prioritized the recommendations from Phase 2 and outlined a set of top 10 immediate priorities at the governor’s request.
The top two recommendations were: engage HWMO in a leadership role and hire a state fire marshal.
Both measures have now been implemented.
The state Legislature passed House Bill 1064 this year, expanding the role and authority of the state fire marshal, and HWMO has already begun work. Lopez said the ongoing efforts will now be handed off to state Fire Marshal Dori Booth and HWMO.
“The 10 wildfire priorities identified in the Phase Three report provide a critical foundation, and my role — as well as the work of the full office when it is in place — will both support those efforts and extend beyond them. We are building the State Fire Marshal’s Office from the ground up, with a focus on regulatory clarity, modernized codes and standards, and a legislative framework that strengthens long- standing efforts already underway, while also guiding future improvements identified through the statewide wildfire strategy now in development,” Booth said in the release.
FSRI is also collaborating with the Maui Fire Department and Kauai Fire Department to develop Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover plans. These plans aim to identify local risks and determine how best to address them.
A subsequent Community Risk Reduction plan will propose actions individuals, communities and governments can take to increase wildfire resilience.
“Our role in the Lahaina fire independent analysis is complete and we have provided forward looking recommendations. Now we’re collectively transitioning from research to implementation for a more fire safe Hawai‘i,” Derek Alkonis, Research Program Manager at FSRI, said. “UL Research Institutes and FSRI will continue supporting next steps in operational readiness and community risk assessment planning.”
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Alkonis also said in the release that FSRI recommended HWMO for its “deep experience, trusted relationships, and ability to coordinate across agencies,” noting the organization is “well-positioned to align efforts quickly.”
HWMO, a longtime nonprofit leader in wildfire prevention and vegetation management, will play a central role in implementing these strategies.
“Our job now is to support the state in developing a cohesive wildfire strategy that brings together public agencies, private partners, and expertise from our academic and community partners — so that we’re all working in sync, informed by best practice, and building upon existing efforts and local knowledge. Some departments will be stepping into new roles, while others — who’ve been doing this work for decades — will finally get the support and alignment they’ve long needed,” Elizabeth Pickett, co-director of HWMO, said. “This is about learning together, building systems that last, and finally connecting our collective efforts into one coordinated path forward. Becoming a wildfire-ready and wildfire-resilient state starts with thoughtful, informed and collaborative planning. This is good governance at its best.”
All documents, images and audio records compiled during the FSRI investigation are available at the Department of the Attorney General’s Maui Wildfire Investigation page, with personal identifying information and images of deceased people redacted.