A blessing was held Friday at the first home to be rebuilt and pass all final inspections in the Lahaina Disaster Area, marking a milestone in the recovery effort since the August 2023 Lahaina fire.

Lahaina residents Mau and Ariel Ah Hee and their two young sons plan to move this month into the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, which passed its final inspections Friday morning. After obtaining a building permit through the County of Maui Recovery Permit Center offering expedited emergency permitting for fire-impacted residences, construction of the 1,200-square-foot home started in July.

During the blessing, Ariel Ah Hee said she and her family are grateful and blessed to be moving back home.  

“I didn’t want this day to just be about us,” she said to a small gathering of friends, family and media. “I have a long list of people to thank . . . all the people who volunteered to help, all the people who donated to us, and to the whole community of Lahaina, we wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you beyond words.”  

It took about six months to rebuild the family’s home, according to Ariel Ah Hee The permits required about two months and building with local contractor Derrick Montalvo spanned four months.  

“I had no idea it was going to be this fast,” Ariel Ah Hee said. “I was thinking at least two to three years. The fact that we’re here before Thanksgiving was wild . . . We just kept asking for help and all these people were helping us. There are so many resources out there.”  

Mayor Richard Bissen was at the home on Komo Mai Street on Friday afternoon to congratulate the Ah Hee family before a blessing by Kumu Kaponoʻai Molitau, director of the County Office of ʻŌiwi Resources.

“This is the first step in bringing our people home to Lahaina,” Mayor Bissen said. “I am deeply grateful that this milestone is occurring sooner than we every anticipated. It is a testament to the spirit of resiliency that has been evident in Lahaina and the dedicated work of many, including our federal and community partners, as well as the unwavering commitment of our community. Together, we have shown that with unity and determination, we can exceed our expectations.”  

Molitau said that the Ah Hee ‘ohana, who have longtime ties to West Maui, are navigators and waʻa people. Mau’s father, Abraham “Snake” Ah Hee, was one of the original crew members of the Hōkūleʻa.  

“Those names are very important to this day,” Molitau said. “We look at this home as a hoku paʻa, as a north star, that when everybody drives by, it’s a beacon of hope, the beacon of a reminder that there is new growth.”  

As of Friday morning, the Recovery Permit Center had issued more than 254 building permits and more than 120 homes are being rebuilt in fire-affected areas of Lahaina and Kula. There are 264 permit applications under review.  

Ariel Ah Hee during the blessing said her biggest advice to other property owners seeking to rebuild is to have a good relationship with their contractor, electrician and plumber.  

“Make sure you trust them and talk to them,” she said.  

The rebuilding is being done under the County of Mauiʻs emergency building permit process, which was enacted on March 11, 2024, through Ordinance 5629. The emergency building permit process is administered by the Development Services Administration (DSA) under the County Department of Public Works. DSA contracted with 4Leaf Inc. to operate the emergency building permit process and the County’s two Recovery Permit Centers, the first of which opened in Kahului on April 29, 2024. DSA led the coordination with County and State permitting agencies to organize and streamline permit requirements and procedures to enable the successful implementation of the emergency building permit process.  

“Witnessing the first completed rebuild in Lahaina is a huge accomplishment and milestone for the entire community,” said Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO of the nonprofit After the Fire USA, which supports communities recovering from wildfires. “It is critically important for the community to see visual deliverables of progress and hope. The Maui megafire is the most complicated disaster I’ve ever worked on, and the progress is greater than expected at this juncture. Our hearts and congratulations are with the Ah Hee family. It is a gift and responsibility to be the first light after a very dark and difficult period.”

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