On the morning of August 8, 2023, the Dadez family noticed smoke rising about two and a half miles from their home in Lahaina, Maui. A mix of strong winds, a severe drought, and dry fields from a former sugar cane plantation set the stage for a fire. Initially, the family thought the fire wouldn’t reach their coastal home.

That night, Marilou Dadez heard their neighbors rushing outside. Her husband, Randy, worked 10 miles away in Kapalua. At home with their four children, Marilou faced the frightening orange sky. Rhaliyah, the 22-year-old daughter, described it as, “Red and so scary.” The family packed into their 2001 Honda, carrying just a suitcase.

Rianna, the older daughter at 24, was learning to drive. She navigated darkened roads with embers flying past the car. Outside was chaos: exploding gas tanks, shattering windows, winds tearing roofs, and homes collapsing.

The Dadez family escaped what became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. The Lahaina fire consumed 2,170 acres and destroyed over 2,700 structures, killing at least 102 people. Overnight, 12,000 people became homeless.

Under a year later, homelessness in Hawaii rose by 87%, affecting 11,637 people. The number of residents living in emergency or transitional housing, from FEMA-funded places to friend’s garages, tripled.