Is Kaanapali affected by the fires in Maui? List of areas under evacuation explored in wake of raging wildfires  

On Tuesday, August 8, a devastating wildfire broke out on the island of Maui in Hawaii. So far, it has burned down hundreds of acres of land, with locals raising concerns about the historic banyan tree in the area, which also happens to be the largest in the USA.

Reports from several media outlets such as CNN suggest that the wildfire was caused by dry and drought-like weather conditions and strong winds brought forth by Category 4 Hurricane Dora, which hit the island over the weekend. The most affected area is the largest census-designated place in the island, called Lahaina, which comprises of the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts.

The raging fires have already destroyed many residential areas, businesses, and the main tourist attraction of Lahaina, including parts of Kaanapali. The place has no power, very weak cell phone service, no internet, and not even a functioning 911 service.

However, Kaanapali may be spared from getting completely wrecked as the wind direction has been blowing smoke away from the beach resort. However, it still largely remains disconnected from the mainland, with evacuations being conducted as much as possible.

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Kaanapali was one of the places evacuated in Maui

As per a statement given to CNN by the acting governor of Hawaii, Lt. Sylvia Luke, the majority of Maui Island as well as its sister island Mauna Kea was evacuated overnight and into the morning of August 10.

The list of areas under evacuation includes mainland Lahaina, Kula, North Kihei, Wailea, Big Island, and Kohala Ranch. Kaanapali too was among the places on the list and was partially affected by the blazes. Search and rescue parties have been deployed to go into the area and evacuate as many people as possible, be they locals, employees, or tourists.

Moreover, many locals and tourists who tried to escape the fast-spreading fires by going into the ocean have also been rescued.

The Associated Press reported that so far, six people have lost their lives in the fire, with 20 badly injured and currently hospitalized. In fact, a spokesperson of the acting governor told the news outlet that the number of deaths may rise in the coming hours and days, as the fires cannot be contained yet because of the speedy winds. Many people also remain unaccounted for.

As per CNN, there was no way to communicate with places like Kaanapali as 911, cell service, phone service, and internet service were all down on the west side of the island, which comprises Lahaina.

In fact, until Wednesday, the only means of communication were satellite phones, which was only present in a solo five-star hotel called Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, located in Kaanapali.

On Wednesday afternoon, a mass bus evacuation was arranged by Sheraton Maui Resort to take guests to the airports. In fact, five county buses of Maui and five Polynesian Adventure Tour buses – all of them with a capacity of 50 were called in for the purpose. People with personal vehicles or rental cars were also urged to leave Kaanapali.

Hawaii National Guard, in association with Maui Emergency Management Agency, US Coast Guard, and National Guard, has been responsible for all evacuations so far. The Hawaii Tourism Authority said in a press conference that it was discouraging all forms of travel to the region for the foreseeable future.

“Visitors who are on non-essential travel are being asked to leave Maui, and non-essential travel to Maui is strongly discouraged at this time. Visitors who have travel plans to West Maui in the coming weeks are encouraged to consider rescheduling their travel plans for a later time.”

As of Wednesday, all roads (16 in total) to Lahaina were closed to traffic, except for emergency personnel conducting evacuations. The mayor of Maui, Richard Bissen Jr., told the press on Wednesday that five shelters have been set up just outside of Maui, where more than 2100 people were staying.

Several hotels, including Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Residence Club, and Kaanapali Beach Resort also told CNN that they were closed to arrivals and were not accepting guests until at least August 11, and will only open after that if the situation improves.

Apart from people stuck on the island, there are also over 1800 tourists stuck at the two airports in the region – Kahului Airport (OCG) and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA) – both of which are working to send tourists home.

The Hawaiian Tourism Authority has also asked travelers to fly out of OCG as it is farther away from Lahaina, the main affected area, in comparison to the other airport. In fact, OCG is allowing passengers to book their flights at no cost.

As firefighters continue to battle the blazes, authorities have urged people to conserve water to reduce demand and extend supply. Hospitals too are reportedly overburdened with burn patients and have requested help from neighboring states.

President Joe Biden told CBS News in a statement on Wednesday evening:

“I have ordered all available Federal assets on the islands to help with the response.”

He also added how the Hawaiian National Guard mobilized Chinook Helicopters to contain the fire in Maui, while the US Coast Guard and Navy Third Fleets were supporting search and rescue operations. Likewise, the US Marines have provided Black Hawk Helicopters to identify the worst affected areas and help people who are stuck there and have no way of getting out.

He continued by saying how the Department of Transportation was also working with commercial airlines to evacuate tourists from Maui, and the Department of the Interior and the United States Department of Agriculture were on standby to help with post-fire recovery efforts. The Red Cross was also in Maui.