Large parts of Lahania, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, have been left in ashes as the Maui fires burn, reports Al Jazeera.
image: for illustration Lahaina waterfront before the wildfires by en:User: Calbear22
… “You can’t refurbish a building that’s just ashes now…”
Al Jazeera writes:
Wildfires have left a trail of destruction on the Hawaiian island of Maui…
The blazes… appear to have devastated the historic centre of Lahaina, the onetime capital of the former Kingdom of Hawaii…
While damage was still being assessed, witnesses said several significant sites appeared to have been consumed by the flames.
Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot with tour operator Air Maui, told The Associated Press news agency he had flown over the area to take stock.
“All the places that… are Hawaiian history, are gone, and that can’t be replaced,” he said. ‘You can’t refurbish a building that’s just ashes now. It can’t be rebuilt — it’s gone forever.”
What has been destroyed?
Aerial footage of Lahaina showed the town nearly engulfed in flames….
Lahaina and the Kingdom of Hawaii
Lahaina grew to prominence under King Kamehameha I, a transformational figure in Hawaiian history.
He united Hawaii under his rule, conquering smaller independent chiefdoms in Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai and Niihau from 1795 to 1810….
The town also became a key port with the first US whaling ships arriving in 1819. Those hunting expeditions, plus the influx of Christian missionaries, brought foreigners and commercialisation to Lahaina….
… The islands became a US state in 1959.
