How a Paradise Became a Death Trap

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of death.

When fires swept West Maui, Hawaii, many residents fled for their lives — but soon discovered they had nowhere to go. Thousands of structures, mostly homes, have been reduced to rubble. Husks of incinerated cars line the historic Front Street in Lahaina, while search crews nearby make their way painstakingly from house to house, looking for human remains.

Ydriss Nouara, a resident of Lahaina, recounts his experience fleeing the inferno and Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The Times, explains how an extraordinary set of circumstances turned the city into a death trap.

Guest: Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• Nearly a week after the fires started, relatives are receiving little information as search and identification efforts move slowly.
• How the fires turned Lahaina into a death trap.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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