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.
“We started [investigating] the day after the fire. We’ve been working since then,” said Ms. Hosana, who lives in Maui, about 30 miles east of Lahaina.
“We went hard for about six to seven weeks straight. The last few weeks, we’ve been formatting to get published.”
The book’s title is a play on “Build Back Better,” a term introduced by former President Bill Clinton to the United Nations in July 2005 while serving as the general secretary’s special envoy for tsunami recovery.
The Biden administration later adopted the term to frame a broad program of federal economic initiatives to address climate change.
Ms. Hosana and Ms. Pierucci spent days interviewing survivors and hours watching government meetings on the fire while poring over publicly available records.
Shelby Hosana on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Courtesy of Shelby Hosana
Some of the information they were looking for had disappeared, as in the case of small airplane pilot’s flight records on the day of the fire, they said.
The finished product is a 298-page book with 17 chapters examining the fire as the island’s worst tragedy in decades—one that remains shrouded in mystery and obfuscation.
“It’s heavy [material], but it’s a lot of detail the public wouldn’t normally hear,” said Ms. Hosana, founder of unjected.com, a dating site for unvaccinated men and women.
“A lot of it is public information and testimony. It’s fully cited with footnotes on every page, like a textbook. We tried to make sure everyone we cited was legitimate testimony.”
The book went on sale on Amazon on Oct. 24.
Government officials point to an aging power grid network and dry climate conditions that were ripe for igniting the two fires that erupted in Lahaina (population 13,216) on Aug. 8.
Firefighters contained the first early morning fire within hours. However, powerful winds from the north whipping embers around sparked another fire near the public schools in the town.
The fire overran the downtown commercial district within minutes, incinerating hundreds of homes and buildings, and forcing dozens of people to save themselves by jumping into the ocean.
Many people who tried to escape in their vehicles were turned back by law enforcement, only to die in the firestorm in a massive traffic jam along Front Street, the main road that runs directly through the town.
“Due to dry grasses, abandoned sugar mills, water diversions, and an outdated and unreliable power grid system, the question wasn’t how the town would be devastated by fire, but when,” the authors write.
“The next fire in Lahaina, being their last, wasn’t just possible; it was downright probable.”
Other problems arose during the state of emergency, including the decision by former Maui County Emergency Management Agency Director Herman Andaya not to sound the all-hazard alarm system that would have alerted residents to the fire.
The book also looks at the alleged failure of the U.S. Department of Defense and state government to supply helicopters with water at the scene, as well as other government responses that could have saved lives.
Stephanie Pierucci in Colorado. Courtesy of Stephanie Pierucci
The official death toll of 115 has been revised downward to 91 lives lost.
Ms. Pierucci told The Epoch Times that after interviewing residents she believes the actual death toll is likely to be much greater.
“A lot of these [deaths] will never be reported because they were there as migrant workers or undocumented [locals].”
The book also examines popular conspiracy theories behind the fire, such as directed energy weapons, geoengineering technology, and globalist plans to covert Lahaina into an Artificial Intelligence-run “15-minute city.”
“What significance is the Smart City planning in relation to this tragedy?” the book asks, and offers the following conjecture: “Might this and other wildfires be paving the way for the destruction of a city in order to build ‘15-minutes cities?’”
The authors say many residents believe that the fire was an opportunity for predatory “disaster capitalists” to acquire their destroyed property at low prices.
Within days of the fire, several residents who lost their homes reported receiving offers to buy over the phone. This fact led the authors to question whether a larger plan might be in place for wealthy individuals to buy up land which many residents regard as sacred.
“Above all, what significance is there in the fact that real estate developers have been eager to acquire indigenous locals’ sacred land, with Hawaiians refusing to sell?” the authors write.
“We try to keep it objective,” Ms. Hosana told The Epoch Times. “We try to help people read in between the lines and look at their government differently.”
“We’re going to try to get this book in every Maui [resident’s] hands so they can get a complete perspective.”
Ms. Pierucci added, “People will be surprised that we come out [against the conspiracy theories] and say we don’t think there was a laser avoiding blue cars.
“We learned through our investigation that the winds were whipping 100 miles an hour around street corners [fanning flames].”
“That made more sense. We refute a lot of the conspiracy theories,” but incorporate a thorough discussion of them.
Both authors say they knew they were putting state and local government officials under a microscope, challenging official narratives, and inviting pushback and even retaliation within the community.
They questioned whether using their real names would be wise, but are convinced the truth is out there—even if it takes years to uncover.
“The people in Lahaina are grieving. Also, the people in Lahaina didn’t want to go down the rabbit hole of a crime [being committed]. It was a tremendous tragedy as well,” Ms. Pierucci said.
