[27][28] The shrinking of the agricultural workforce reduced overall firefighting capacity; those workers had traditionally suppressed fires on the land they cared for, and were so effective that sometimes the counties called them for help.

[26] Despite these calls to action, the Hawaii State Legislature had been unable to make much progress; a 2022 bill to spend just $1.5 million on additional fire risk reduction measures died in a legislative committee.

Concurrently, Hurricane Dora began to intensify to Category 4 strength, which helped to create a large pressure difference between the high-pressure area and the low-pressure cyclone.

"[42] By August 6, the National Weather Service identified a region of very dry air arriving from the East Pacific, greatly inhibiting the potential for rainfall.

[43] As the day progressed, deep layer ridging combined with the existing pressure gradient created very strong wind gusts and caused humidity levels to be well below normal.

[65] Concurrent electrical grid sensor data and security camera footage reported by The Washington Post indicate that a downed power line, hit by a tree, may have caused this fire.

[70] A three-acre (1.2 ha) brush fire was reported at 6:37 a.m. HST (UTC 16:37) as the downed power line sparked flames to dry grass near the road.

[77] At 4:46 p.m. HST (UTC 02:46), the fire reportedly crossed Honoapiʻilani Highway (Hawaii Route 30) and entered the main part of Lahaina,[32] forcing residents to self-evacuate with little or no notice.

[92] The disaster area remained restricted to authorized personnel due to unstable structures, exposed electrical wires, and potentially toxic ash and debris.

Contrary to early reports, the main church building and steeple were not destroyed and survived the fire largely intact, though the roof and interior may have sustained some damage.

[147] All four airlines had also reportedly waived fare cancellation penalties and fare-difference fees for affected passengers,[147] and Hawaiian and Southwest offered temporary $19 interisland flights until August 11.

[150] Hawaiian state officials created plans to house visitors along with thousands of displaced Maui residents at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Oʻahu[104] and over 100 had stayed as of August 10.

[154] Scientists with the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began to prep for studies that would monitor and document any changes in water quality due to soil erosion and other effects of the fire that can affect the island's waterways and ecosystems.

[167] The same law firm had previously worked for Pacific Gas and Electric on litigation arising out of the 2018 California wildfires, in which its attorneys had billed their time in 2019 at rates between $400 and $1,400 per hour.

[170] In July 2024, a tentative agreement was reached and Hawaiian Electric Industries, along with the State of Hawaii, Maui County, Kamehameha Schools and others would agree to pay thousands of plaintiffs and victims over $4 billion to settle the lawsuits.

[182] FEMA initially provided $700 payments as one of several types of federal assistance available to survivors of the wildfire, which was meant to address immediate needs such as food, water, and clothing.

[186] By August 16, the number of FEMA cadaver dogs deployed to the scene had increased to 40,[187] and Governor Green explained that the searchers were in a "race against time" to recover remains before they could be degraded by the next rainstorm.

[189] Meanwhile, on August 15, a federal Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) arrived on the island to assist with the identification and processing of the large number of remains.

[190] The DMORT brought along a portable morgue in the form of 22.5 short tons (20,400 kg) of equipment and supplies, and nine Matson shipping containers were seen outside the Maui Police Department's Forensic Facility in Wailuku.

[191] On August 17, a five-member National Response Team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived on Maui to investigate the cause and origin of the Lahaina fire.

[17] On August 11, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced that her department would conduct a "comprehensive review of critical decision-making and standing policies" surrounding the wildfires.

[200] On April 4, 2024, two months after the end of the eviction moratorium in Maui, Governor Josh Green announced that a portion of areas affected would be prioritized for the restoration of historic wetlands and aquaculture after having been drained and filled during the era of sugar plantations in Hawaii.

[204][205] The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Honolulu announced a $500,000 cash donation to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation to support relief efforts.

[211] In addition, proceeds from the October 8 preseason game at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz will go towards the Maui Strong Fund.

[212] The Hawaiian Mission Houses Archives has uploaded items to their digitization project relevant to Lahaina's history such as photos, journals, drawings, and letters to aid in the recovery of historic sites.

[215][216][217] At least one analyst compared them unfavorably to high-priority tsunami warnings, suggesting a possible alarm fatigue among residents, where frequent, less urgent alerts can diminish the perceived significance of real threats.

[222] In early September, it was reported that residents of numerous communities around the state of Hawaii had become deeply worried about the risk of losing their own homes to wildfires, after seeing how Lahaina had been so suddenly destroyed.

[223][224] In July 2024, Hawaiian Electric implemented its first public safety power shutoff plan (PSPS) by identifying fire-prone areas on each island whose history of fires, winds, dry vegetation levels and other factors put them at risk.

The solar-powered stations provide temperature, humidity and wind data that will help determine whether the utility should actuate a public safety power shutoff (PSPS).

[237] Researchers from Microsoft, Recorded Future, the RAND Corporation, NewsGuard and the University of Maryland found that a Chinese government-directed disinformation campaign used the disaster to attempt to sow discord in the US.