Despite prohibition, would-be buyers trying to snap up land burned in Maui wildfires

Would-be buyers are making offers to snap up property after deadly wildfires devastated the island of Maui last month, despite a state proclamation warning against such bids last month, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said.

Green told the Associated Press that several people have made unsolicited offers to buy the land and destroyed buildings in the towns that burned down like Lahaina. His administration is launching an investigation into the people who made the offers, he said. He did not name them.

Green issued the emergency proclamation Aug. 19, laying out explicitly that "making any unsolicited offer to an owner of real property located in the areas encompassed by United States Postal ZIP codes 96761, 96767, and 96790 on the island of Maui to purchase or otherwise acquire any interest in the real property is prohibited."

Green's office did not respond to messages seeking more information Friday.

Many Maui residents affected by the devastation predicted and feared developers might be trying to snap up land in the wake of the fires. And if successful, they could dramatically change the way of life on the island where residents and their families have lived for generations.

Earlier last month, residents told USA TODAY that developers had approached them with offers to buy their property, and it added to the anxiety and grief of losing their homes, animals and loved ones.

At least 115 people died in the Lahaina fire. A Maui County update Friday said "100% of the Lahaina disaster area" had been searched. Green said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he believed less than 100 people from the island remained unaccounted for as of Thursday. "We think the number has dropped down into the double digits. Thank God," he said.

But late Friday, Maui County said 385 people still are unaccounted for and released an updated list.

What type of land is at risk in Maui?

More than 2,200 structures were destroyed across 2,170 acres were destroyed in the Lahaina fire, according to an Aug. 12 estimate of the damage from the Pacific Disaster Center and Federal Emergency Management Agency featured on Maui Now. In the town of Kula, 678 acres were affected by the fire in the area, according to the agencies.

The agencies estimate it could cost $5.52 billion to rebuild Lahaina and $434 million to rebuild Kula. Maui County officials estimate 1,081 acres were affected in the Olinda fire.

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What are Maui residents afraid of?

Many residents of Maui lost their homes and jobs during the devastation. They are awaiting government assistance and insurance to kick in and arrive. In the meantime, there's fear residents will sell their land to outsiders who want to rebuild and profit off the territory. That has bred worry that resale of land could cause an exodus of Native Hawaiians and destroy the area's Hawaiian cultural history.

"Many of us are concerned that in the immediate wake of a disaster, people are not always in the right state of mind to make such a consequential decision," said Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawaii’s Future, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the workforce housing shortage in the state, earlier this month.

On Friday, the AP reported that authorities have received eight separate complaints about unsolicited offers, according to David Day, a spokesperson for Attorney General Anne Lopez. All eight are under investigation, he said. Those found guilty of a violation may be imprisoned for up to one year and fined up to $5,000.

Fact check:Hawaii officials debunk claims about development bans, insurance denials in Maui

Prior to the wildfires, residents were perturbed about the gentrification of Lahaina. The now-leveled historical, coastal town was the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Mark Stefl, 67, told a USA TODAY reporter last month that he was approached by developers who want to buy his property on the island, but he said, "I'm not going to sell it. I'm going to stay here."

Green vowed to protect Maui residents from developers "on the mainland" swooping in and making offers for their territory.

“What is also of fundamental importance to us is protecting the land – protecting the land for our local people,” he said.

Green said he asked the attorney general "to watch for predatory practices" and make attorneys available for residents "to get expert legal advice so that doesn't happen."

And he said he would not be "allowing anyone to build or rezone or do anything of that sort if they've taken advantage" of Maui residents.

"Rebuilding will be for our local people," Green said.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, Associated Press. Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @kaylajjimenez.