A long-awaited report concluded that the deadly 2023 fire that killed at least 102 people and razed much of historic Lahaina was actually caused by a smaller blaze that firefighters believed they had fully extinguished that morning.

HONOLULU (AP) — Drought, a lack of preparation, poor communication — a handful of reports from research organizations and government agencies have detailed some of what went wrong when a catastrophic wildfire burned through the historic Maui town of Lahaina last year, killing 102 people.

The Maui wildfire that killed more than 100 people last year and destroyed Lahaina, Hawaii, was caused by downed power lines, investigators found.

The blaze spread as chaos overtook the historic town of Lahaina, sending some residents fleeing into the ocean and trapping others in their vehicles.

County of Maui and ATF officials held a press conference after releasing the origin and cause report of the deadly Maui wildfire that happened last year.

Deadly Maui wildfire erupted from earlier brushfire believed to have been extinguished, investigation confirms

The Aug. 8, 2023, blaze — the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century — emerged in the afternoon in the same area as the blaze that began early that morning.