ArchiveFM

The Daily

How A Paradise Became A Death Trap: An Update

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since. Warning: This episode contains descriptions of death. When fires swept West Maui, Hawaii, many residents fled for their lives — but soon discovered they had nowhere to go. Thousands of structures, mostly homes, had been reduced to rubble. Husks of incinerated cars lined the historic Front Street in Lahaina, while search crews nearby made their way painstakingly from house to house, looking for human remains. Ydriss Nouara, a resident of Lahaina, recounts his experience fleeing the inferno, and Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The Times, explains how an extraordinary set of circumstances turned the city into a death trap. Guest: Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The New York Times.
Duration
22m
Broadcast on
26 Dec 2023
Audio Format
other

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since.

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of death.

When fires swept West Maui, Hawaii, many residents fled for their lives — but soon discovered they had nowhere to go. Thousands of structures, mostly homes, had been reduced to rubble. Husks of incinerated cars lined the historic Front Street in Lahaina, while search crews nearby made their way painstakingly from house to house, looking for human remains.

Ydriss Nouara, a resident of Lahaina, recounts his experience fleeing the inferno, and Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The Times, explains how an extraordinary set of circumstances turned the city into a death trap.

Guest: Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. Hey, it's Sabrina. This week, the Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year, listening back and then hearing what's happened in the time since they first ran. Today, the fire that devastated Lahaina, Hawaii, in August, and one man's story of surviving it. It's Tuesday, December 26th. Welcome to TikTok. Hello. Hi, is this Idris? Yes, it is. Hi. Idris, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. And I wonder, Idris, if you could introduce yourself for me. Tell me your name, your age, where you live, and what your profession is. My name is Idris. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. My name is Idris Snorra, I'm 32 years old. I lived on Prison Street in Maui, Lahaina, and I was the manager of a health and property of the beach and pool, working sales. Got it. And I wonder if you could start by telling us just kind of from the beginning, how your day started? So, actually, it was my first true day of in the long time, and I woke up in the middle of the night, which was Monday night Tuesday morning around 3 or 4 a.m. when we lost power. So, it got pretty hot. So, I opened up the windows, and by the time I woke up around 6, 7 a.m., I noticed we didn't have service neither. Cell service? Yeah.

Transcription truncated.

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since. Warning: This episode contains descriptions of death. When fires swept West Maui, Hawaii, many residents fled for their lives — but soon discovered they had nowhere to go. Thousands of structures, mostly homes, had been reduced to rubble. Husks of incinerated cars lined the historic Front Street in Lahaina, while search crews nearby made their way painstakingly from house to house, looking for human remains. Ydriss Nouara, a resident of Lahaina, recounts his experience fleeing the inferno, and Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The Times, explains how an extraordinary set of circumstances turned the city into a death trap. Guest: Mike Baker, the Seattle bureau chief for The New York Times.