A wildfire that has devastated Maui, Hawaii, has also consumed the historic town and former capital of Lahaina, according to CBS.
Maui County authorities reported that the wildfire burning through Hawaii has ravaged Lahaina, destroying 271 buildings, injuring multiple civilians, and killing 36, according to CBS. The Front Street area of the city fell victim to the fire, with numerous historical sites burning down, including the famous 60-foot banyan tree. (RELATED: Shocking Video Shows Hawaii Residents Trying To Escape Fire)
“Lahaina Town on Maui is almost totally burnt to the ground,” Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz wrote on Twitter. “Firefighters are still trying to get the fires under control, and our first responders are in search and rescue mode.”
The Coast Guard rescued civilians who fled the city by jumping into the ocean and the nearby harbor, as the outlet reported.
President Biden spoke to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green on Thursday after fast-moving wildfires in Maui killed at least three dozen people and burned much of Lahaina to the ground, according to the administration. https://t.co/jnykyDo9jV
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) August 10, 2023
Lahaina possesses tremendous historical value, as it was the state’s capital for 50 years from 1802 until it was replaced by Honolulu, CBS noted. The city has been a leading destination for Protestant missionaries since 1820, and it has the oldest building in all of Maui, the Baldwin Home, which was unfortunately destroyed in the fire.
The city also hosts a historic lighthouse built in 1840 and the Lahaina Courthouse built in 1858, and restored in 1998. The banyan tree lost in the fire was present in several important moments. It was the location where the state held a ceremony to annex as a U.S. territory in 1898, the outlet reported.