The major recent fires people usually mean when asking about “the fires in Maui” are the August 2023 wildfires, especially the one that devastated the historic town of Lāhainā on the island’s west side.

Main locations of the Maui fires

  • The deadliest and most destructive fire burned through Lāhainā, a coastal town in West Maui, destroying much of its historic downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
  • Another large wildfire burned in the Kula / Upcountry Maui area on the slopes of Haleakalā, affecting rural residential and agricultural lands.
  • Additional, smaller fires occurred in other parts of Maui around the same period, but they did not cause damage on the scale seen in Lāhainā.

Lāhainā fire details

  • The Lāhainā fire started inland and was rapidly driven downslope toward the ocean by very strong winds, ultimately burning large parts of Front Street and nearby residential areas.
  • This fire destroyed thousands of structures and became one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in over a century, with over 100 confirmed deaths.

Upcountry / Kula fire area

  • The Upcountry fire burned around Kula , a higher-elevation community on the western slope of Haleakalā volcano in central Maui.
  • It damaged homes and ranchland and forced evacuations, but the population density there is lower than in Lāhainā, so property and life loss were less extensive than in West Maui.

Other recent Maui fires

  • Maui continues to experience smaller brush and structure fires , such as a late-December 2025 brush fire near Kuau Beach Place and Hāna Highway, and a house fire in the Piʻihana area of Wailuku that displaced residents.
  • These more localized incidents are typically contained quickly, but they highlight that fire risk remains a serious, ongoing concern on the island.

If you’re asking as a visitor

  • Areas of West Maui, including parts of Lāhainā, remain under long-term recovery, while many other parts of Maui (like South Maui and parts of Upcountry) remain open to visitors and daily life.
  • Before visiting, it helps to check official Maui County or Hawaii state updates on access zones and recovery information so plans respect local recovery efforts.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.