Wildfires in Maui continue to rage due to atmospheric conditions that have created “fire weather,” per CBS. The blaze ran through the historic town of Lahaina on Wednesday, located on Maui’s island, causing the evacuation of 11,000 tourists and killing 36 people, according to the New York Times.
So far, 271 structures were also damaged or destroyed in the blaze, per AP News, including Maui’s Baldwin Home, the oldest house on the island.
Built between 1834 and 1835, the home was first intended to be a “missionary compound” to house medical missionaries, Dwight Baldwin and Charlotte Fowler Baldwin, according to the landmark’s website. Baldwin is credited for saving Maui from the smallpox epidemic.
The Baldwin family deeded the home to the Lahaina Restoration Foundation in 1967.
Shutterstock/Atomazul | Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii – April 11, 2023: Historic Baldwin Home Museum. Built in 1834. The village of Lahaina burned down four months later, on August 8, 2023.
The historic landmark was burned to the ground after the roof caught fire. Theo Morrison, the executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, confirmed that the home was turned to ashes.
“We had no preparation, no warning, nothing,” Morrison told the New York Times about the disaster.
In addition to Baldwin House, the island’s heritage museum and courthouse were also torched.
“This is the worst destructive thing that has happened in this town’s entire history,” she said.
With rescue efforts underway as thousands of people shelter in place, tourism on the island has come to an abrupt halt.
Tourism is Maui’s “economic engine” with about 80% of every dollar generated directly or indirectly by the visitor industry, according to the Maui Economic Development Board. Maui’s hotel tax generates $20 million annually.