New Book Looks at Deadly Lahaina Fire as ‘Perfect Storm’—or a Perfect Opportunity For ‘Disaster Capitalists’

Authors Shelby Hosana and Stephanie Pierucci examine the island’s deadliest blaze using first-hand accounts and reams of public documents.

Search and recovery team members check charred buildings and cars in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 18, 2023. Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

Nearly four months after the deadly Lahaina fire on the island of Maui, a new book explores whether the tragedy was the result of natural causes, gross negligence, or more “nefarious” motives.

In “Burn Back Better,” one of the first books published since the Aug. 8 fire, authors Shelby Hosana in Hawaii and independent publisher Stephanie Pierucci in Colorado question the official narratives, as well as the conspiracy theories surrounding the catastrophe.