Lahaina Fire Survivors Return for Emotional Homecoming on 3-year Anniversary
Date
Jul 17, 2026
Publisher:
Maui Now
On a hot summer Wednesday afternoon in Lahaina, sisters Courtney Lazo and Ta‘ina Polanco watched six toddlers laugh and squeal on an inflatable backyard water slide.
It’s been three long years since the sisters and their kids, nieces and nephews were all together. Polanco and her family moved out of state after losing their home in the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire and before getting to meet Lazo’s youngest child, who was born in 2024.
But the Lahaina homecoming event this weekend, with donated airline tickets and lodging, made it possible for the Polanco family to return.
