Nearly a year after Maui wildfire disaster, Haiku community celebrates its first fire station

HAIKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires approaches, the growing community of Haiku is closer to getting its first fire station.

Long-time Haiku resident and local reggae musician Marty Dread walked around the vacant lot on Maui’s North Shore on Thursday. He is excited knowing what it will become.

“My home is less than two miles from here, and knowing that a fire station would be closer to my neighborhood is really exciting for me because, you know, with the events of the last year, with fires and everything, I mean, I’m sure every one of my neighbors would be ecstatic to know that help is closer than Paia or Makawao, which is another add another 15-20 minutes,” he said.

Maui Wildfires Disaster

Currently, the closest fire station is in Paia, which about seven miles away.

“We’re happy to partner with the county and provide many millions of dollars to get this done,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

“We’ve got a long way to go statewide, but particularly in Maui Nui to make sure we’re prepared for increasing wildfires.”

Schatz said he is close to securing about $16 million to build a nearly 8,000 square foot station on six-acres near Hana Highway and East Kuiaha Road.

The need for a station in the town of 9,000 people has been talked about for years.

Schatz said the growing population in Haiku, prevalence of wooden structures… and the high risk of wildfires underscore the urgent need for the new station.

“We think this can get done very quickly. Of course, the federal funding still has to be enacted. This is a subcommittee part of the process, but we’re reasonably confident that once we get the money into the county’s hands, that they’re going to move forward. It’s county property,” he said.

“They’ve been planning this for a number of years. Obviously, the urgency is way higher than it ever has been, given the wildfires that happened about a year ago in Maui.”

Total cost of the station is about $28 million. The county is covering the difference.

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