Maui does not have any active wildfires as of early 2026. The Maui Emergency Management Agency shows no active emergency alerts, and there are no fire weather watches or red flag warnings in effect. The devastating wildfires that burned through Lahaina and other parts of the island in August 2023 were fully contained long ago, and the island is deep into its recovery phase.
That said, Maui faces ongoing wildfire risk. About 81% of Maui County is currently in some level of drought, which dries out grasses and vegetation that can fuel fires. Here’s what you should know about where things stand.
What Happened in the 2023 Fires
On August 8, 2023, wind-driven wildfires broke out across multiple parts of Maui. The most catastrophic struck the historic town of Lahaina on the island’s west side, destroying over 3,000 homes and buildings. Fires also burned 1,283 acres in the upcountry region and 3,240 acres in south Maui. In total, 100 people lost their lives, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century.
Where Lahaina’s Recovery Stands
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed debris removal from all residential properties in Lahaina. Commercial property cleanup is about 64% finished. Rebuilding is underway but far from complete, and significant portions of the Lahaina burn zone remain closed to the public.
Restricted areas include stretches of Front Street, Luakini Street, Prison Street, Banyan Tree Park, and Malu ʻUlu o Lele Park. Kamehameha Iki Park is closed except for permitted shoreline access. Some highway intersections near Lahaina also remain barricaded due to ongoing infrastructure work. If you’re planning to visit West Maui, you can reach the resort areas north of Lahaina without issue, but the town itself is still largely a construction zone.
Current Fire Risk on Maui
While nothing is burning right now, the conditions that made the 2023 fires so destructive haven’t disappeared. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest data from February 2026, roughly 44% of Maui County is in moderate drought, 29% is in severe drought, and about 7.5% is in extreme drought. Only about 10% of the county is classified as just “abnormally dry,” with the rest at more serious levels.
Drought dries out grasses and other vegetation, turning them into fuel that ignites easily and burns fast. Maui’s leeward (western and southern) slopes are particularly vulnerable because they’re naturally drier and often exposed to strong trade winds. The combination of dry fuel and high winds is exactly what turned the 2023 fires into a catastrophe.
Changes to Emergency and Fire Prevention Systems
Maui County has adopted a new evacuation notification platform called Genasys Protect. The system divides the island into pre-determined evacuation zones and provides real-time status updates during emergencies through a mobile app available on both Apple and Android devices. Residents and visitors can follow specific zones and receive push notifications if conditions change. This is a direct response to the communication failures during the 2023 fires, when many residents received no warning before flames reached their neighborhoods.
On the utility side, Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission approved Hawaiian Electric’s 2025-2027 wildfire mitigation plan. The utility, whose power lines are suspected of playing a role in igniting the Lahaina fire, has implemented interim safety measures including public safety power shutoffs, which allow the company to cut electricity in high-risk areas during dangerous wind events. The PUC has said it expects the company to continue strengthening these strategies.
Tourism and Travel to Maui
Maui’s tourism industry has largely recovered. In 2025, the island welcomed about 2.5 million visitors, a 7% increase over 2024. Visitor spending hit $5.97 billion for the year, up nearly 13% from the prior year. By December 2025, monthly visitor counts had surpassed 243,000, exceeding pre-recovery benchmarks.
Most of Maui is fully open to visitors. Resorts in Kaanapali and Kapalua (north of Lahaina), the south shore areas around Wailea and Kihei, and upcountry attractions are all operating normally. The main area to be aware of is the Lahaina burn zone itself, where access restrictions remain in place and there is little to visit for the time being. The rest of the island, including its beaches, hiking trails, and communities, is welcoming travelers as usual.