Lāhainā: After the Fire
In Lāhainā: After the Fire, a new documentary from UL Research Institutes, viewers learn how safety science helped transform loss into action after the catastrophic 2023 wildfires in Lāhainā, Hawaiʻi. The 13-minute film traces how findings from a scientific investigation conducted by UL Research Institutes informed critical actions to reduce future wildfire risk, offering takeaways that extend far beyond Hawaiʻi to communities across the wildland-urban interface.
Lāhainā: After the Fire is the final installment of our 2026 Stories of Impact, a video series that invites viewers to witness how UL Research Institutes is turning safety science into real-world results.
Explore how our experts advance research to help protect people and communities around the globe.
Film Specifications
Title: Lāhainā: After the Fire
Year: 2026
Runtime: 13:06
How to Watch: YouTube
Logline: Researchers, policymakers, first responders, and residents reflect on the 2023 Lāhainā wildfires and the changes made to reduce future fire risk.
Genre: Environmental documentary
Production: This film was created by UL Research Institutes in partnership with:
- Residents of Lāhainā, Hawaiʻi
- Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez
- Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green
- Former U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell
- Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization
- Maui Police Department
- Bayou City Productions
Looking Ahead: An extended cut of the documentary will be released in December 2026. Check back for additional insights into the fire, the investigation, and the aftermath.
Synopsis
Lāhainā: After the Fire follows the aftermath of the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history and the effort to understand what happened and how to prevent it from happening again. Through the work of researchers and the voices of residents, first responders, and policymakers, the film reveals how a scientific investigation uncovered the factors behind the tragedy and sparked lasting change across Hawaiʻi.
The investigation, which was conducted by UL Research Institutes’ team of experts at the Fire Safety Research Institute, led the state to transform research into action through new land management and fire prevention initiatives, along with the restoration of the State Fire Marshal’s office. Lāhainā: After the Fire offers a powerful story of resilience, accountability, and the role science can play in building a safer future.
Timeline
What began in the immediate aftermath of the Lāhainā fire grew into a multiyear effort to understand the disaster, identify lessons for the future, and document the community’s path forward. Explore this timeline highlighting key milestones in the investigation, its impact in Hawaiʻi, and the making of Lāhainā: After the Fire.
Aug. 8-9, 2023
A wind-driven wildfire spreads rapidly through Lāhainā, a town on the island of Maui, claiming more than 100 lives and destroying more than 2,000 structures within hours.
August 2023
Days after the fire, researchers from the Fire Safety Research Institute touch down in Maui and begin gathering data and interviewing eyewitnesses.
Aug. 31, 2023
Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne E. Lopez announces that UL Research Institutes will conduct a comprehensive, independent investigation of the fire in three phases.
April 17, 2024
The Fire Safety Research Institute publishes the Phase One report, the Lāhainā Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report, which uses incident data, eyewitness statements, and fire dynamics to map the progression of the fire and first responder actions.
Sept. 13, 2024
The Fire Safety Research Institute publishes the Phase Two report, the Lāhainā Incident Analysis Report, which provides detail on the effectiveness of prevention and alerting efforts, conditions influencing the original fire situation, attempts to stop its progression, and evacuation efforts.
Jan. 14, 2025
The Fire Safety Research Institute publishes the Phase Three report, the Lāhainā Fire Forward-Looking Report, which includes recommendations and strategies for community risk reduction, as well as tactical considerations developed by subject matter experts.
July 8, 2025
Hawai’i moves swiftly to act on the research recommendations. Governor Josh Green signs two bills that reshape the state’s wildfire policy landscape, re-establishing the Office of the State Fire Marshal and creating new wildfire prevention and land management initiatives.
April 27, 2026
The team from UL Research Institutes visits Maui to conduct interviews with residents, policymakers, and first responders that form the basis of Lāhainā: After the Fire.
Oct. 15, 2026
Lāhainā: After the Fire premieres online.
December 2026
An extended cut of the documentary will be released, offering a deeper dive into the story of the fire, the science behind the investigation, and the actions taken by Hawaiʻi officials to mitigate future fire risk.
Producer’s Statement
Producing Lāhainā: After the Fire was an opportunity to help tell a story that extends beyond the devastating events of Aug. 8, 2023. It is also a story about community, resilience, and the importance of understanding why disasters happen so that we can work to prevent them.
Working with UL Research Institutes and the team at the Fire Safety Research Institute, our goal was to bring the rigor of scientific investigation into conversation with the human experiences of those affected by the Lāhainā wildfire. Through documentary storytelling, we sought to make the research accessible, illuminate the complex factors that contributed to the disaster, and explore how its lessons can inform meaningful change.
I believe films like this can help bridge the gap between research and public understanding. They give us a way to connect scientific evidence with real-world events and to see why the work of understanding fire behavior, improving safety, and informing policy matters to communities everywhere.
Above all, I hope this film honors the people of Lāhainā and the profound losses they have endured. While the tragedy cannot be undone, the knowledge gained from it can help guide decisions, strengthen fire safety, and protect lives in the future.
— Kevin Francis, Producer, Bayou City Productions
“The conditions that existed in Lāhainā that day could occur in many places around the world. We created Lāhainā: After the Fire to ensure the lessons learned extend beyond a single community and help others prepare for and reduce wildfire risk. The film demonstrates how science, strengthened by learning from lived experience, can help create a safer future for communities everywhere.”
Kristen Delphos
Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, UL Research Institutes
“The Lāhainā Fire exposed critical vulnerabilities across Hawaiʻi’s prevention, preparedness, and response systems that required attention well before Aug. 8, 2023. In its aftermath, Hawaiʻi chose to ask hard questions and answer them openly. Commissioning an independent analysis of what went wrong and what went right, publishing the findings and recommendations, and committing to act on them took real courage. That meant exposing all parts of the system to scrutiny, changing long-standing practices, and investing in prevention and preparedness before the next emergency, not after. What we are seeing now is a state and its communities taking ownership of that work together, with the shared goal of improving life safety. That is what real progress looks like.”
Derek Alkonis
Senior Research Program Manager, Fire Safety Research Institute
Contacts
Michelle Johnson
Director of Communications, PR, and Content, UL Research Institutes
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