Hawaiʻi AG: Investigation closed into deadly August 2023 Lahaina, Maui, wildfire

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez announced Thursday that her department closed out its investigation of state and county government response to the deadly August 2023 Lahaina, Maui, wildfire.

Lopez also officially handed over the responsibility for future wildfire analysis, mitigation and coordination efforts as those duties now belong to the new state fire marshal and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization.

“I am proud of the work that my department and [Fire Safety Research Institute] have completed over the last 2 years,” said Lopez in an announcement about closing out the investigation, adding she is fully confident in the ability of State Fire Marshal Dori Booth and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization to collaborate and lead state and county agencies, communities and other nonprofits into a safer, healthier future.

Lopez said that shortly after the Aug. 8, 2023, Lahaina wildfire disaster, she and Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green agreed that understanding how the state and county agencies responded during and immediately after was crucial to secure the safety of residents and visitors “now and into the future.”

“Fire Safety Research Institute, part of UL Research Institutes, was the most capable organization that could provide the state with an objective, evidence-based understanding of the response of state and county agencies and provide recommendations and best practices for Hawaiʻi going forward,” she said. “[Fire Safety Research Institute] has done just that.”

The Attorney General Department on April 17, 2024, released Fire Safety Research Institute’s Lahaina Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report (Phase One) that provided a minute-by-minute accounting of state and county actions.

Fire Safety Research Institute’s Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report (Phase Two) was released then released Sept. 13, 2024.

That report — which revealed no single factor led to the devastation, but instead a complex set of factors created the conditions for the historic deadly disaster that killed more than 100 people — incorporated a science- and evidence-based analysis of the events, including preparedness efforts, weather and its impact to decades-old infrastructure and other fires simultaneously occurring on Maui.

It included 84 findings and 140 recommendations designed to mitigate the issues identified by FSRI and make recommendations to move forward.

That included a harsh — but frank — assessment of Maui County’s emergency management at the time of the deadly blaze.

“First responders heroically saved many lives, placing themselves in extreme danger between the unpredictable fire fronts and vulnerable residents,” a release from the Attorney General Department said. “The Maui County incident management operations, however, consisted of a siloed command structure that contributed to a lack of communication both to the public and responding agencies.”

The Phase Two report said lack of pre-event planning, unified incident command and operational coordination with assisting and cooperating agencies resulted in insufficient communications that impacted the ability to provide effective evacuation and firefighting operations during the wildfire event.

Lopez’s department also released all of the images, audio and documents received and prepared by Fire Safety Research Institute, totaling 850 gigabytes of data, at the same time as the Phase Two report.

Fire Safety Research Institute’s Lahaina Fire Forward-Looking Report (Phase Three) was released in January. It prioritizes the 84 findings and 140 recommendations from the Phase Two report to improve Hawaiʻi’s ability to better prepare for and respond to wildfires.

Fire Safety Research Institute has since started collaborating with Maui Fire Department and Kauaʻi Fire Department to complete their Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover plans.

These analyses will be conducted in cooperation with the Maui and Kauaʻi fire departments alongside local residents and businesses, ultimately identifying relevant risks and how the departments can effectively address them.

Comprehensive Community Risk Reduction plans will then be developed, providing realistic actions that can be taken by individuals, community organizations and government agencies to mitigate wildfire risk and increase resiliency.

“Our role in the Lahaina fire independent analysis is complete and we have provided forward looking recommendations. Now we’re collectively transitioning from research to implementation for a more fire safe Hawai‘i,” said Fire Safety Research Institute Research Program Manager Derek Alkonis in the AG’s announcement. “UL Research Institutes and [Fire Safety Research Institute] will continue supporting next steps in operational readiness and community risk assessment planning.”

Green requested that Fire Safety Research Institute, as part of its Phase Three report, identify its top 10 immediate priorities looking forward.

The top two recommendations are:

1. The state engage with Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization to share a leadership role in wildfire preparation and response.
2. A state fire marshal be hired to ensure continued work and long-term planning.

Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization already started work.

“We are proud to be part of this next chapter for Hawai‘i,” said Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization Co-Director Elizabeth Pickett in the AG’s announcement. “Our job now is to support the state in developing a cohesive wildfire strategy that brings together public agencies, private partners and expertise from our academic and community partners so that we’re all working in sync, informed by best practice and building upon existing efforts and local knowledge.”

Pickett said some departments will step into new roles while others — that have done the work for decades — will finally get the support and alignment they long needed.

“This is about learning together, building systems that last and finally connecting our collective efforts into one coordinated path forward,” she added. “Becoming a wildfire-ready and wildfire-resilient state starts with thoughtful, informed and collaborative planning.”

Alkonis said Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization was recommended because of its deep experience and ability to coordinate among agencies. The organization also is embedded in Hawai‘i’s wildfire network and well-positioned to align efforts quickly.

It was also selected in part because of its long-standing and ongoing leadership in the area of wildfire prevention and vegetation management — Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization has been deeply engaged in the work for years and is well-equipped to move the state forward on some of its most urgent needs.

“Their work complements the new state fire marshal’s office and helps drive action on the priorities we identified — a strong example of collaborative leadership for wildfire resilience,” Alkonis added.

Green during the 2025 Hawaiʻi state legislative session introduced the measure to amend Hawaiʻi’s state fire marshal statute to empower the fire marshal to have more independence and broaden their responsibilities.

Following several robust hearings, state lawmakers passed House Bill 1064.

Among other actions, the bill also establishes the Office of the State Fire Marshal within in the Hawaiʻi Department of Law Enforcement and a new State Fire Marshal Selection Commission. Furthermore, it requires reports to the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

“It’s an honor to serve as Hawai‘i’s state fire marshal at this pivotal moment,” said Booth in the AG’s announcement. “The 10 wildfire priorities identified in the Phase Three report provide a critical foundation, and my role — as well as the work of the full office when it is in place — will both support those efforts and extend beyond them.”

Booth said the state fire marshal’s office is being built from the ground up, with a focus on regulatory clarity, modernized codes and standards and a legislative framework that strengthens long-standing efforts already underway while also guiding future improvements identified through a statewide wildfire strategy now in development.

He’s grateful to all of the agencies and partners contributing to the effort.

“I look forward to working closely with the State Fire Council, county fire departments, [Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization] and others to ensure a coordinated, capable and resilient fire safety system for Hawai‘i,” Booth said.

Find more information about the investigation into the Lahaina wildfire on the state attorney general’s website.