It's been one year since the devestating Maui Fire that took the lives of 102 people.
A Maui Helicopter Pilot who initially flew over the County's deadliest wildfire in 100 years has now flown over it a year later, comparing the differences.
The morning after the devastating wildlife in Maui, most of the world had no idea how bad things really were. That morning, Richie Osten, the Director of Operations at Air Maui Helicopters, decided to fly over and see what the fire was doing. "When we started to see that the whole town was gone and the hundreds of homes gone. We literally were in disbelief. You know, I looked at the other guys with me, and I said, are you seeing what I'm seeing? Is this real?" he said. "We had tears rolling down our cheeks in our helicopter because it was unbelievable; it looked like a war zone, looked like an area that had been bombed, and it was just smoldering afterward, just horrific.
Now, looking at Lahaina a year later... "The big difference was that almost all of the destruction was gone and cleared away," he said.It still struck me as being catastrophic because the buildings are all gone," said Olsten. "You know the historic section is gone people's homes are gone. People died there, so that part still strikes you.6,000 people are still displaced, living in hotels, temporary housing, or even tents on the beach.
Helicopter Pilot Lahaina Richie Olsten Air Maui Helicopters Devastation Damage Wildfire
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