The oldest home in Maui was leveled by deadly wildfires currently ravaging the Hawaiian Islands.
The fire raged through the historic town of Lahaina, decimating the popular 18th-century tourist attraction.
One of the buildings destroyed was The Baldwin Home, which originally dates from 1834 and was the oldest surviving house on the island.
District officials said 271 buildings were affected and destroyed by the fires. At least 36 people were killed in the fires that raged across 5,000 acres on Maui. Hundreds remain missing.
The coastal city of Lahaina was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and a sacred site for the island nation’s kings and queens.
Aerial footage showed the devastation to Maui’s historic waterfront buildings after the inferno, including the charred remains of the Baldwin Building and the trees that surrounded it
The roof of the Baldwin Home can be seen through the dense foliage in this satellite image
The Baldwin house pictured here was the oldest house on the island and has since been destroyed
Sen. Brian Schatz said on Twitter, “Lahaina Town on Maui almost completely burned down.”
“Firefighters are still trying to get the fires under control and our first responders are in search and rescue mode.”
The Baldwin Home was originally built between 1834 and 1835 by the Reverend Ephraim Spaulding on what was known as a “mission” site.
After his illness in 1836, Spaulding traveled to Massachusetts and a medical missionary, the Reverend Dwight Baldwin, and his family, who had been living in a grass hut, moved into the house.
The Baldwins lived in the Lahaina home until 1868, and frequently opened their doors to weary travelers, ship captains, members of the royal court, and visiting consuls.
In 1853 a smallpox epidemic swept the islands and Baldwin was a doctor at the time.
He managed to quarantine the residents of Lahaina and began vaccinating as many people as possible before traveling to the other islands to do the same.
Missionary Reverend Dwight Baldwin, pictured here, moved into the famous Front Street estate in 1835
Before and after photos of the area show the devastation caused by the wildfires
An aerial view shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground around the harbor and Front Street in the historic town of Lahaina
Reverend Baldwin and his wife then moved to O’ahu to live near their daughter Charlotte.
After the roof of the historic building caught fire, the building burned down completely.
Theo Morrison, executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, told the New York Times, “We had no preparation, no warning, nothing.”
“This is the most destructive thing that has happened in the entire history of this city.”
Aerial footage showed dozens of homes and businesses in Lahaina being leveled, including Front Street, where the Baldwin Home once stood.
Smoking piles of debris lay high on the shore, boats in the harbor were burned and gray smoke hung over the skeletons of charred trees.
While the exact cause of the fires remains unknown, they began Tuesday, fueled by strong winds from passing Hurricane Dora.
Horrifying footage from a plane landing on Maui shows the extent of the fires that continue to ravage the tiny island
According to officials, low humidity and a prolonged drought season that has seen trees dry out also contributed to the disaster.
When the fires reached the coast, desperate locals jumped into the harbor water on Tuesday night to escape the flames. Twelve people were rescued from the waves by boats.
Distraught Lahaina residents woke up Thursday to photos and videos of their completely destroyed homes.
“We just had the worst disaster I’ve ever seen.” All Lahaina are burned to a crisp. “It’s like an apocalypse,” said one local resident.
Another escaped with his wife, children and dog and fell asleep in a Whole Foods parking lot before waking to the news that their home had been destroyed.
President Joe Biden has declared a severe state of emergency in Hawaii, allowing residents and businesses access to federal funds.
Hundreds of people were missing and their loved ones were desperate for signs that they could be rescued or found shelter after they fled.
Locals have created a document for loved ones to list the last place their loved ones were seen. However, authorities have not yet established an official way to report someone missing.
On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, people gather at Kahului Airport in Kahului, Hawaii while waiting for flights
State officials are working with hotels and airlines to try to evacuate thousands of tourists to another island.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation confirmed that Maui’s Kahului Airport is open and thousands are stranded there trying to flee the island.
Ed Sniffen, director of the Hawaii State Department of Transportation, confirmed that non-essential travel to Maui is strongly discouraged.
He estimated around 2,000 people stayed at the airport and another 4,000 visitors attempted to exit the island from the west side.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority said in a statement that West Maui is the area travelers should avoid, adding, “Visitors with travel plans to stay in other parts of Maui and the Kohala Coast of the island of Hawaii are asked to contact to contact them.” Hotels for up-to-date information and possible implications for their travel plans.”
State officials are working with hotels and airlines to try to evacuate thousands of tourists to another island
Officials struggled to evacuate the thousands of visitors to the island and are preparing to move those unable to return to their homes to the Hawaii Convention Center along with displaced Maui residents.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority worked with the American Red Cross to set up the relief center, where shuttle buses will pick up stranded people from the Honolulu airport every 20 minutes.
To help people get out of Maui as quickly as possible, Hawaiian Airlines says it is offering additional flights and offering low main cabin airfares of $19.
“We are doing what we can to provide resources to care for our employees and we are doing what we can to care for our guests,” said Peter Ingram, CEO of Hawaiian Air.