Timeline offers a window into terrifying events of Maui fire
Aug. 20—More than a week after devastating wildfires on Aug. 8 in Upcountry Maui and Lahaina, there has been no official timeline of events released by state or Maui County officials that might help to answer a number of questions about the response of government and public safety officials.
Here is a Honolulu Star-Advertiser compilation of events based on social media posts and news releases from Maui County, the Maui County Emergency Management Agency (Maui-EMA), the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (Hawaii-EMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, Maui Electric Co., Hale Mahaolu Eono senior complex and published news reports from survivors.
The Lahaina wildfire is the deadliest in the country in a century, well surpassing more than 100 deaths to date with substantially more expected as search efforts continue. While the fires in Upcountry Maui are responsible for destruction of property, the Lahaina fire alone consumed at least 2,200 structures — wiping out the town nearly entirely.
Here is an account of the day based on available reports:
Tuesday, Aug. 8
>> 12:22 a.m.: Brush fire reported in the Upcountry Olinda Road area of Kula.
>> 3:45 a.m.: Residents in Upcountry Aulii Drive area evacuate.
>> 3:46 a.m.: Maui County posts that a Red Flag warning was issued at 3:17 a.m.
>> 4:19 a.m.: Maui-EMA Alert:"EVACUATION ORDER on Maui for Kula 200 subdivision off Aulii Dr due to a Brushfire. Grab your "go kits" and evacuate your family and pets now!"
>> 4:50 a.m. Residents of Hanamu Road evacuate. Fire crews from Kula, Makawao, Kahului and Wailea are on scene.
>> 5:32 a.m.: Maui-EMA Alert:Evacuation of multiple streets in King Kekaulike High School area due to "dangerous brushfire." Shelter open at Hannibal Tavares Community Center.
Daybreak
The Maui Fire Department's Air One helicopter goes up to conduct aerial assessment.
>> 6:08 a.m.: Maui Electric posts that as of 5:15 a.m., crews are responding to outages in Lahaina to Napili in West Maui and parts of Olinda-Pi'iholo in Upcountry.
>> 6:37 a.m.: A brush fire scorches three acres in the area of Lahainaluna Road.
>> 6:37 a.m.: Shane Treu begins filming with his phone, panning across three power lines on the ground near Lahainaluna Road. One could be seen dangling in charred, smoking grass. The power line, landing in dry grass, was "like a fuse," he told the New York Times.
>> 6:38 a.m.: County posts that Honoapiilani Highway between Front Street and Hokiokio Road is closed due to downed Maui Electric poles on the road.
>> 6:40 a.m.: Lahaina Intermediate School area evacuates.
>> 7:00 a.m.: Fifty-four people are at Upcountry Hannibal Tavares Center evacuation site.
>>7:05 a.m.: County posts closure of Lahainaluna Road from Lahaina Bypass to Kuialua Street due to brushfire.
>> 7:30 a.m.: Hawaii-EMA posts "triple hazard" conditions (high, gusty winds; high surf; Red Flag warning for extreme wildfire risk)
>> 7:30 a.m.: Hale Mahaolu Eono senior complex staffer reportedly alerts tenants to smoke, knocking on doors and encouraging residents to evacuate.
>> 7:32 a.m.: County posts Lahainaluna Road closure from Kelawea Street to Kuialua Street due to brush fire.
>> 8:27 a.m.: County posts Honoapiilani Highway between Aholo Road and Hokiokio Road closed due to downed Maui Electric poles.
>> 8:50 a.m.: Two people are at the Lahaina Civic Center evacuation shelter.
>> 9 a.m.: County press release: "Fire burned an estimated 675 acres of pastureland and gulches in the Olinda area (Upcountry). Two structures were burned. No injuries were reported, and the cause is under investigation. High winds, including gusts of up to 80 mph reported in the area, were making conditions unsafe for helicopter operations."
>> 9 a.m.: Maui Fire Department declares the Lahaina brush fire 100% contained shortly before 9 a.m. "However, power outages are impacting the ability to pump water, and the public is asked to conserve water in West Maui," according to the County.
>> 9:07 a.m.: Maui Electric posts there are several spans of downed power lines in various areas.
>> 9:55 a.m.: County press release: "Lahainaluna Road remains closed between Kelawea and Kuialua streets while Hawaiian Electric responds to a downed power line in the area; Winds in the area remain a concern. A high-wind warning issued by the National Weather Service for portions of Maui County."
>> 10:50 a.m. : Firefighter crews and tankers from Kula, Makawao, Kahului and Wailea on scene of Kula blaze.
>> 10:57 a.m.: Maui-EMApostsLahaina brushfire road closures (Lahainaluna Road to Kelawea Street to Kuialua Street).
>> 11:30 a.m.: Hale Mahaolu resident manager evacuates, encouraging four residents to leave with him, but they decide not to, he says.
Noon
>> 12:58 p.m.: County posts that Lahainaluna Road is open.
>> 1:19 p.m.: Maui-EMA posts road update due to Lahaina brushfire and downed power line (open, Lahainaluna Road to Kelawea to Kuialua; closed, Honoapiilani from Front St. to Hokiokio, Wainee from Dickenson to Lahainaluna; partially closed and blocked from Honoapiilani/Keawe; right hand turn lane from Honoapiilani to Keawe blocked with cones)
>> 2 p.m.: At Hale Mahaolu senior complex, Gloria Perreira smells smoke. (Associated Press)
>> 2:30 p.m. "Mark Stefl and his wife, Michele Numbers-Stefl, spot a fire about 500 yards from their house, a little more than half a mile away from the Treu residence. The flames along Lahainaluna Road inched closer, she said, 100 yards away, then 30 — 'a freight train coming down the mountain,' in her husband's words." (New York Times)
>> 3 p.m.: At Hale Mahaolu, "the air was so thick with smoke that she could no longer see nearby trees, and the hurricane-force gusts were spraying embers and flame everywhere," Gloria Perreira said. (New York Times)
>> 3 p.m. "In the upper floor office at his coffee warehouse in the center of Lahaina, next to a chocolate factory and a liquor store, J.D. Sheveland, 58, eyed the firestorm through his window as he paid bills and did paperwork." (New York Times)
>> 3 p.m.: Explosions are heard by one Lahaina resident, who describes a series of "boom, boom, boom" sounds on his street and later posts a video to Instagram. (NBC News )
>> 3:20 p.m.: Fire crews battle Upcountry blaze, which reaches as far as Kualono Place near Kula Lodge. Residents of Piʻiholo and Olinda roads urged to evacuate "while they can."
>> 3:25 p.m. "Sheveland captures footage of gray smoke starting to flow over the residential streets. Within 20 minutes, his video clips showed the smoke growing ever darker." (New York Times)
>> 3:30 p.m. Lahaina Bypass closes due to flare-up of the Lahaina fire.
>> 3:40 p.m.: Maui-EMAposts Red Flag warning for all islands; and high wind warning for summits of Haleakala, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
>> 3:42 p.m.: County posts "Fire Department advising immediate proactive evacuation of residents of Pi'iholo and Olinda roads."
>> 3:42 p.m.: County posts "Lahainaluna Road is closed between Honoapiilani Hwy and the Lahaina Bypass due to Fire"
>> 3:43 p.m.: Hawaii-EMA posts that Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke has issued an emergency proclamation on wildfires in Maui and Hawaii Counties.
>> 3:49 p.m. In a video Sheveland shot, cars can be seen driving through clouds of smoke on Honoapiilani Highway in the direction of downtown Lahaina. (New York Times)
>> 3:50 p.m. County press release: "The Fire Department is calling for the immediate evacuation of residents of the subdivision including Kulalani Drive and Kulalani Circle due to an Upcountry brush fire."
>> 3:52 p.m.: Maui-EMA posts evacuation for Pi'iholo and Olinda roads.
>>3:55 p.m.: Maui Electric posts that an incident management team is in place.
>> 3:56 p.m. : Maui Electric posts that approximately 12,400 customers in West Maui are offline and crews are repairing about 30 downed poles and multiple spans of power lines.
>> 3:57 p.m.: Maui-EMA posts wind advisory for Niihau and windward coastal portions of Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Big island.
>> 4:14 p.m. "Sheveland, still in his office, could see flames leaping above the rooftops of homes as the blaze tore through the neighborhood, edging closer to the waterfront." (New York Times)
>> 4:17 p.m.: Maui-EMA posts immediate evacuation of Upcountry Kulalani subdivision.
>> 4:17 p.m. Tourists Breanna and Glenn Gill at Lahaina Shores Beach Resort, get an emergency phone alert that awakened them from a nap. "Evacuate your family and pets now, do not delay," it read. "Expect conditions that may make driving difficult." (New York Times)
>>4:26 p.m.: Maui-EMA posts immediate evacuation of Lahaina Kelawea Mauka Subdivision.
>> 4:45 p.m.: County Press Release: "An apparent flareup of the Lahaina fire forced the closure of Lahaina Bypass around 3:30 p.m.; Evacuations are occurring in the vicinities of Lahainaluna Road, Hale Mahaolu and Lahaina Bypass. Kahakuloa is closed to outside traffic. Only residents of the rural town of Kahakuloa Village are allowed to travel through the remote side of Kahekili Highway. People on the west side are advised to shelter in place unless evacuations are ordered. Multiple roads, including Honoapiilani Highway from Hokiokio Place to Lahaina Bypass, are closed due to downed power lines. The American Red Cross opened Lahaina Civic Center as an evacuation center due to the fire and area power outages tied to high winds."
>> 5:00 p.m.: Honoapiilani Highway from Hokiokio Place to Lahaina Bypass reopens following the clearing of downed power lines, to allow access in and out of Lahaina via Hokiokio Place, according to county press release.
>> 5:03 p.m.: County posts that "Lahaina fire flareup forces Lahaina Bypass road closure; shelter in place encouraged"
>> 5:06 p.m.: Maui EMA posts Lahaina Bypass closure due to "flare ups"; "The road to Kahakuloa is RESTRICTED for Kahakuloa residents only"
>> 5:15 p.m. "Chelsea Denton Fuqua and her husband cower between a magic shop and a pizzeria on Front Street, a raging fire and a wall of smoke behind them. In front of them was a long line of cars, gridlocked, and then a short stone wall, and then the ocean. Nearby, firefighters arrived to confront the fire near Sheveland's coffee warehouse. As soon as they were gone, flames kicked up again in a field across the street." (New York Times)
>> 5:15 p.m. Sheveland grabs a fire extinguisher and rushes outside. "I'm standing out there trying to put the little fire out and I start hearing, like, a jet engine," he remembered. "The fire was sucking wind in. It turned into a firestorm right then and there." (New York Times)
>> 5:21 p.m.: Hawaii-EMA posts "Hokiokio is now cleared to allow cars out of Lahaina area as of 5:05 p.m. HST"
>>5:30 p.m.: "Sheveland climbs into his Dodge pickup and, in a caravan of three vehicles carrying seven employees and relatives, dashed down Keawe Street, just off the bypass road, toward the main highway. But the highway was closed, he said, covered with live power lines." (New York Times)
>> 5:38 p.m.: Smoke surrounds boats at Lahaina Mooring Field, according to a video later uploaded to Instagram. "People are trapped — boats, cars & gas stations are exploding. Everything is burning," the Instagram user writes. "Please just pray." (NBC News)
>> 5:41 p.m.: The fire encroaches on a retail area in Lahaina as jet-black plumes of smoke billow in the air, according to video recorded at the scene by Lahaina resident Alan Dickar. "The smoke was thick [and] blocked out the clear, blue sky," Dickar would later say in a Facebook post. (NBC News)
>> 5:50 p.m.: County Press Release. "Multiple structures have burned and multiple evacuations are in place, as firefighter crews continue battling brush and structure fires in Upcountry and Lahaina areas. The Maui County Emergency Operating Center is fully activated and in coordination with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency for state and federal resources. In West Maui, fire crews from Napili, Lahaina, Kihei and Wailuku responded to the fast-moving fire, which was fueled by strong winds as Hurricane Dora passed well south of Hawaii. On the West side, evacuations occurred at Lahainaluna Road, Hale Mahaolu, Kelawea Mauka and Lahaina Bypass."
>> 5:57 p.m.: Maui County posts "Multiple evacuations in place for Lahaina and Upcountry Maui fires"
>> 6 p.m. In his rearview mirror, Sheveland could see the firestorm sweeping into Lahaina. Somehow, the cars began moving. (New York Times)
>> 6 p.m. Dozens of people, barely able to see through the smoke along Front Street, were perched on the edge of the sea wall, struggling to breathe. "We couldn't see people, but I heard people throwing up, screaming," said Ydriss Nouara, a sales manager at a local hotel who was fleeing on a scooter with a neighbor. He said he watched as a pit bull threw itself into the water. He called 911, and the operator urged them to get into the water, too. (New York Times)
>> 6 p.m. Nouara watched from a jetty as boats in the harbor caught on fire and swirled around in circles, their masts ablaze. (New York Times)
>> 6 p.m. A 45-foot Coast Guard cutter had approached the Lahaina breakwater. As they eased in, trying to avoid running aground in the wind and waves, the crew began casting rope lines through the smoke, feeling some of them grow taut as people grabbed them on the other end. They pulled them in. Seven people were saved. (New York Times)
>> 6:30 p.m.: At the Aina Nalu condos in Lahaina, a group of people in a swimming pool watch as massive flames annihilate the surrounding buildings, according to video recorded at the scene. (NBC News)
Sunset
>> 7:03 p.m.: Flames ravage the Lahaina harbor and explosions are heard every few seconds amid the rush of fierce winds, according to video recorded by Lahaina resident Bryan Sizemore. "I saw at least a dozen bodies floating in the water," Sizemore later tells NBC News.
>> 7:57 p.m. U.S. Coast Guard Hawaii posts an aircrew, and small boat crew from Station Maui are deployed to Front Street Beach and Lahaina Small Boat Harbor.
>> 8:14 p.m. County posts multiple road closures in Lahaina. "Do NOT go to Lahaina town."
>> 9:45 p.m.: County Press Release. "Firefighter crews continue to battle brush and structure fires in Upcountry and Lahaina areas; Mayor Bissen issued an emergency proclamation in response to fires; The American Red Cross has opened Maui High School as an evacuation center. Wahikuli residents in West Maui were evacuated this evening. The Coast Guard has been responding to impacted areas where residents are entering the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions. Individuals were transported by the Coast Guard to safe areas. A firefighter who was responding to the West Maui fire has experienced smoke inhalation and was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center. He is in stable condition. The County requested for National Guard support. Multiple evacuation orders are in place. Structure damages have occurred, no details on the extent on damages are available."
>> 10:30 p.m. U.S. Coast Guard Hawaii posts that it has rescued 12 people from the waters off Lahaina.
