A historic and sacred tree in Lahaina, Hawaii, is beginning to bud new leaves despite being covered in burn scars from August’s wildfire. The 150-year-old tree is the largest banyan tree in the U.S., and the new buds are a positive sign for long-term recovery in Maui.
New information is being revealed about the wildfire. The death toll has dropped from 115 people to 97, and the number of people missing has fallen from the thousands to 31.
The Maui County Coroner’s Office says this was caused by remains being wrongfully identified as human or one victim’s remains being identified as multiple people.
There is also a clearer consensus on the likely cause as county officials are largely blaming downed power lines for starting the fire. However, Hawaiian Electric has refuted those claims.
A U.S. House committee investigating the Maui fires will hold its first public hearing on Thursday, Sept. 28.
In the aftermath of the fires, officials and locals told tourists to stay away while the community handled the devastation. Officials are now encouraging tourism back into Maui, despite the wishes of some locals.
The region is heavily reliant on tourism and the state is losing roughly $9 million per day from the drop in visitors, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority.
The economic decline from the wildfire persists. According to the Tourism Authority, 40% of all jobs on the island are dependent on visitor spending. Over 10,000 claims for unemployment were filed after the fire — 11% of workers in Maui County.
