First came the Maui wildfires. Now come the land grabs: ‘Who owns the land is key to Lahaina’s future’

Fire damage in Lahaina, Hawaii, on 13 August 2023. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Mere days after wildfires tore through Maui last August and leveled the historic town of Lahaina, community organizers warned that longtime residents were vulnerable to predatory land grabs.

And they were right. As search and rescue teams painstakingly combed through the scorched ruins, traumatized survivors began receiving texts, voice messages, and letters from speculators and realtors offering to buy their burnt-out homes.