Air
Air | Ash and Debris | Beach Sand | Coastal Sediment | Coastal Waters | County Parks | West Maui TDS Site | Soil
Maui Wildfire Data: Air
Community air monitoring took place in late 2023, 2024, and early 2025. Monitoring was completed February 19, 2025. Data are available below.
DOH conducted air monitoring throughout the Lahaina area in late 2023, 2024, and early 2025 to confirm that debris removal, transfer of debris from the Temporary Debris Storage (TDS) Site to the Permanent Disposal Site (PDS), and other disturbances of fire ash—such as by high winds—did not cause unhealthy air quality. Air quality monitoring by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and DOH started before debris removal operations began. This monitoring used proven measurement methods and followed DOH’s air quality guidelines. Similar air monitoring was conducted in Kula during the now-completed debris removal operations there.
Air quality monitoring focuses on harmful substances that the wildfires left in Lahaina, especially in the ash. This ash contains substances like arsenic, other metals, and asbestos fibers. People can breathe in ash that becomes airborne. When that happens, people can also breathe in the harmful substances within the ash.
Many steps have been taken to make sure no one is exposed to unhealthy levels of these harmful substances. Soiltac® has been sprayed on the ash to keep it in place. Lahaina debris removal operations, and operations at the PDS and TDS Site, have used various strategies—like water sprays—to control dust and keep ash out of the air. These efforts have proven effective, because monitoring conducted to date consistently shows that Lahaina’s air quality is below levels of health concern.
DOH measured air quality throughout Lahaina during debris removal activities, and DOH continues to monitor air quality related to debris transfer from the TDS Site to the PDS. This page includes air quality measurements related to debris removal activities in the Lahaina area. Air monitoring data related to the TDS Site and PDS can be found on the TDS/PDS page.
Read more about the air sampling and health findings for Lahaina:
Read more about the air sampling that occurred in Kula:
Read about the air monitoring for the TDS Site and the PDS:
Download sampling data that EPA collected in Lahaina and Kula in August 2023 before debris removal began:
Air | Ash and Debris | Beach Sand | Coastal Sediment | Coastal Waters | County Parks | West Maui TDS Site | Soil