LAHAINA, Hawaii (KHON2) — A Lahaina family who lost their home in Aug. 8 2023 fires moved into their newly built home on Friday, Nov. 22.
The Ah Hees are the first family back home to complete their inspection just in time for Thanksgiving.
Progress has been the best gift this holiday season for some Lahaina residents. A Maui Ocean Safety lifeguard and his wife, a nurse, were finally able to move back home.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said other families will be back home by the end of the year.
Aerial and her husband Mau Ah Hee have moved six times in the last year and are back home.
“It is a miracle but it’s now a holiday miracle. I couldn’t believe we got in before the holidays,” explained Ariel Ah Hee.
They applied for their permit back in May, and Maui, along with his uncle who was their contractor, quickly began building in July.
“He was here before work, working on the house after work every day,” continued Ariel. “When we were off, he was here, and when there were no lights in the house, he’d been working since 10 p.m. He’d leave Paia at 5 a.m., do a dump run before work, and work on the house until late at night. He put a lot of work into this.”
Their permit was expedited because the home they lost was relatively new, and the square footage remained the same.
“I had a lot of square footage from the original, but it was only a two-bedroom, one-bath, so I changed the layout to add another bathroom,” Ariel added. “The reason for the addition? More children!”
The furniture arrived on Thursday, and the couple is finally able to spend the night back on Komo Mai Street for the first time in over 15 months.
“We just had to do it. We had to push through and get it done as quickly as possible so we could finally be home,” said Ariel.
On Friday, the mayor welcomed the family home after the house passed the final inspection.
This [home] serves as a symbol of resilience and unwavering determination for how are people will rise from what has happened here.” said Bissen.