Maui’s Oldest Living Tree Incinerated in Hawaii Wildfires
BY ALEKS PHILLIPS ON 8/10/23 AT 6:04 AM EDT
An ancient and famed tree on the Hawaiian island of Maui has been badly burned by the rapidly spreading wildfires that have led to the evacuation of residents and the deaths of 36 people.
Images posted from the historic resort town of Lahaina show the Banyan Tree, a 150-year-old landmark, black with soot and charred branches. As well as an outpouring of sorrow on social media for the apparent loss, some expressed hope that, as it remains standing, the tree might still survive.
Newsweek approached the County of Maui, which oversees the site, via email for comment on Thursday.
Fire crews are battling three large bush fires on the island of Maui, concentrated in the western region popular with tourists and an inland, mountainous region. Fires on the island of Hawaii, to the southeast of Maui, were also recorded.
County of Maui officials said in an update on Wednesday afternoon that nearly a hundred firefighters had been working “around the clock” to battle the blazes, which had impacted an estimated 271 structures with “widespread damage” to Lahaina and the surrounding area. The fires have also affected power, phone lines and water supplies.
A short while later, officials announced numerous fatalities had been discovered in the active fire in Lahaina during firefighting efforts, while search and rescue remained ongoing. Richard Bissen, the county mayor, said: “This is a deeply somber day.”
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his “deepest condolences” to the families of the dead in a statement on Wednesday, adding he was “grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harm’s way to save lives.”
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Despite the acting governor declaring an emergency on Tuesday, Maui County officials urged visitors to the island to leave as soon as possible “due to limited resources in this time of crisis.” Alongside the National Guard, firefighters from Honolulu, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard have been rushing to aid the response.
Images and videos of the aftermath of the destruction in Lahaina show the blackened Banyan Tree amongst scorched buildings and still-smoking ground.
Kaniela Ing, a former Democratic state representative, described it as “A tragic symbol of the climate emergency and colonial greed,” adding that “the gross mismanagement of land by greedy developers and land speculators destroyed our natural landscape and buffers and enabled the rapid spread of the fire.”
Another user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the tree was “a staple of my memory when I would see my family on Maui. Gone. It hurts. Lahaina town will never be the same.”
However, others expressed hope that the tree “might just make it.”
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“The Banyan Tree somehow still stands amidst so much destruction,” one social media user tweeted, adding: “Only time will tell if it survives the injuries sustained in the fires, but it feels like a small beacon of hope in this disaster.”
“I’ve seen trees survive much worse in [California], all my fingers and toes crossed for this old girl,” another wrote. “Her branches are upright—good sign to me.”
Planted in 1873 in what was then the capital of Hawaii, the Banyan Tree in Lahaina is the oldest of its kind on the island and the largest in the U.S.
The tree was brought to what was then the Kingdom of Hawaii to mark the fiftieth anniversary of a Protestant mission arriving there. It was planted in a fort—later rebuilt as a courthouse—that has since become a site of local historical importance.
The blazes in Hawaii have come amid a spate of heat wave-induced wildfires that have spread across the southwest United States. Early in August, an 80,000-acre wildfire spread across California and Nevada, and in late June a wildfire near Phoenix took hold of nearly 2,000 acres and led to the evacuation of over 1,000 residents.
Several states in the southwest have been regularly experiencing temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts have said that climate change was contributing to the hot, dry conditions, making wildfires more likely.
Thu, August 10, 2023 at 8:16 AM HST·5 min read
1. On Tuesday, the National Weather Service Hawai’i residents of a red flag situation — where dry conditions mixed with strong winds from , a category 4 storm off the southern coast, and the local environment became susceptible to fire risk.
While well to the south of the Hawaiian Islands, Hurricane Dora is creating strong winds across the Islands which are creating dangerous fire conditions.
— National Weather Service (@NWS)
2.Now, fast-moving fires are spreading throughout communities, including the island of Maui and its historic town of Lahaina, which was once home to King Kamehameha III, who united Hawai’i under a single kingdom, AP News. Today, thelie at Wainee Church in Lahaina.
3. Now, much of the town has been scorched by ongoing fires.
When a whole city is on fire: Lahaina/Hawaii as seen from a passenger plane ???? #lahainafire #MauiFires #Hawaii #hawaiifires
— Steffen Dietz (@sdietzf1) August 10, 2023
4.On Wednesday night, it was reported that 36 people had been killed.
5.According to CBS News, officials say this number is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts are underway.
6. Videos taken by those on the ground show homes and businesses on fire.
Another video- Video of the destruction on Front Street, a historic site in West Maui.Oh God, please forgive our mistakes and save us, please. #lahainafire #MauiFires #Hawaii #wildfires pic.twitter.com/EDUxBYCEJ7
— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) August 10, 2023
7. Both local residents and tourists have been trapped by the conditions, the Washington Post reported.
????????????Turn up the sound & listen to the terror of these poor folks fleeing the Maui wildfires.Don’t turn a blind eye.These are REAL people dying in the climate crisis.“I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”-Greta Thunbergpic.twitter.com/Jm0cweooMK
— Nathan Mackenzie Brown ???????? (@NathanMackBrown)
8as Hawai’i urges people to evacuate.
9. According to the US Coast Guard, 14 people were forced to flee into the ocean as fires pressed them out of town, and they were successfully rescued.
UPDATE:The @uscg and partners continue mass Rescue Operations from Maui Fires.At this time, a total of 14 individuals have been rescued from the waters off Lahaina.Read more here: https://t.co/ANvmK3e5Iq#USCG pic.twitter.com/VGQNBPrni7
— USCG Hawaii Pacific (@USCGHawaiiPac) August 10, 2023
10. Helicopters have been deployed to help search affected areas and try to contain the fires.
Always Ready, Always There.Two Hawaii Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters dropped more than 100,000 gallons of water on wildfires on the island of Maui yesterday. Today, more than 130 Hawaii National Guardsmen continue to support wildfire response missions. pic.twitter.com/drl8cFIVD3
— National Guard (@USNationalGuard) August 10, 2023
11. Aerial footage shows thick smoke clouding the region.
Video made from the helicopter you can see the waves of smoke after the fire in Maui????#MauiFires #lahainafire #Hawaii
— N3RO (@N3RONEWS) August 10, 2023
12.Towns appear to be shells of their former communities.
13.In a statement, Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green said, “Much of Lahaina and Maui has been destroyed, and hundreds of local families have been displaced.”
14.Satellite images from June 25, 2023 show what Lahaina looked like before the fires…
15….and after. This image was captured yesterday.
16. Many online are also mourning in the wake of destruction by sharing before and after images of the town.
Before and after photographs of the fire damage in Lahaina, Maui.Absolutely devastating. pic.twitter.com/rYfLYN2bAg
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) August 10, 2023
17. And others balk at what has been left behind.
Wildfires lick through leaving behind a ghost townVC: lei_dubzz on Instagram#Wildfire #Hawaii #Dora #HurricaneDora #Heatwave #Fire #Climate #Kula #Weather #Firefighters #Hurricane #Viral #ForestFire pic.twitter.com/BZ9CZzKcor
— Earth42morrow (@Earth42morrow) August 10, 2023
18. A disaster declaration has been approved by Joe Biden, which in turn provides federal funding to Hawai’i for recovery. In a statement from the White House, it says this funding can go toward “grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.”
Hawaii, right now: Winds are destroying power poles and transformers, causing more fires, communication outages, and wind gusts of more than 50 mph are fanning flames across Hawaii. Forest fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have already claimed 36 lives. The fire has already… pic.twitter.com/KsQsJX8r8C
— Peacemaker (@jardacarda72) August 10, 2023
19.Funding can also be used by “state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Maui County, and assistance for emergency protective measures for Hawaii County.”
20.Airports are currently packed as evacuations are underway. To help, Hawaiian Airlines says they are adding extra flights to their schedule, and
21.If you would like to help, you can donate to the Maui Strong Fund, which is designed to help support the recovery, response, and disaster preparedness efforts.
