A worker sprays water on fire debris in Lahaina on Jan. 17, 2024. Debris is wet down with water to minimize dust, encapsulated in thick industrial plastic, and then sealed before transport to the temporary debris storage site in Olowalu.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, alongside local cleanup crews, started removing thousands of pounds of fire debris from Lahaina last week. The first property, which is located on Fleming Road, was completely cleared on Thursday.
More than 400,000 tons will be removed from Lahaina and transported to the temporary debris storage site in Olowalu. It's a coordinated effort between several federal and local government agencies and private contractors.
Maui County said hazardous household and bulk asbestos materials were removed during Phase 1 of the debris removal.
Maui-based Native Hawaiian cultural advisors are working alongside debris removal teams to monitor and provide guidance on cultural areas.
Most of the steel and concrete left behind by the fire will be recycled. Much of the debris headed for the Olowalu site is comprised of ash and small particles, which state Department of Health tests have confirmed is laden with arsenic, lead and other toxins.
"As operations increase in the coming days, there will be teams conducting debris removal on multiple properties at the same time. Everyone is working hard on this cleanup process to help Lahaina residents and landowners return to their properties," Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sign at a property on Fleming Road in Lahaina. (Jan. 17, 2024)
County of Maui
A worker cleans up debris in Lahaina on Jan. 17, 2024. Crews recycle as much material as possible, remove the top 6 inches of soil, and then wrap debris in plastic. The removed soil will be tested for contaminants and, if needed, an additional 6 inches of soil will be removed from the burn site.
County of Maui
Cleanup crews prepare a plastic lining to contain debris headed for the Olowalu debris storage site. (Jan. 17, 2024)
County of Maui
Fire debris removal in Lahaina on Maui on Jan. 17, 2024. Mayor Richard Bissen said there is an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of debris that needs to be removed, equivalent to five football fields stacked five stories high. Roughly 133 semi-truckloads daily over a year would be required to remove all the materials from the burn zone.
County of Maui
An excavator dumps fire debris into a plastic-lined truck bed. Officials estimate more than 400,000 tons will be removed from Lahaina and transported to the temporary debris storage site in Olowalu. (Jan. 17, 2024)
County of Maui
A screen is lifted over the top of fire debris to contain it during transport to Olowalu. (Jan. 17, 2024)
County of Maui
A truck empties soil and trash from Lahaina at the temporary debris storage site in Olowalu. Those who opposed the site have expressed concern about toxic runoff contaminating the nearby Olowalu reef. For many Lahaina residents, the cleanup marks a big step toward their goal of rebuilding. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen has promised Olowalu will not be a permanent site.
Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources
This photo shows the Olowalu site on Oct. 23, 2023, before it was prepped to hold fire debris. The county's goal is to move the debris to a final location within two years. That site has not yet been chosen — and officials said the community will have significant input on that decision.
Jae C. Hong/AP
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AP
An overhead view of the fire debris in one Lahaina neighborhood on Aug. 17, 2023.
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