REDUCED LAHAINA TO ASHES. >> NOW THAT MONTHS HAVE GONE BY, YOU MIGHT ASSUME THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER. NOT EVEN CLOSE. WE STILL DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO WHAT HAPPENED, AND SOME DEVASTATED FAMILIES ARE JUST NOW BEING ALLOWED TO SEE THEIR BURNED OUT HOMES. I MET UP WITH ONE OF THOSE FAMILIES SO YOU CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW BAD IT STILL IS. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHEN SILENCE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY WORDS. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT 76 YEAR OLD PHOEBE LAY AUDRIE'S IS FEELING. >> I REMEMBER GOING TO KINDERGARTEN FROM THIS PROPERTY. >> SHE'S STANDING AT WHAT, FOUR MONTHS AGO WAS THE FRONT DOOR TO THE ONLY HOME SHE HAS EVER KNOWN . AND NOW ONE OF HER MANY CHALLENGES IS TO NOT LET THIS TRAGEDY ERASE FOR GENERATIONS OF JOY AND LOVE, THERE MUST BE THE SPRINGS FROM THE BED. >> YEAH, RIGHT. AND THIS WALL HERE WAS FILLED WITH PICTURES. >> I KNOW THIS IS STILL FRESH FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET TO SEE THIS UNTIL RECENTLY. RIGHT MHM. >> WHAT IS IT? LAST. LAST MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THANKSGIVING WEEK RESIDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE DISASTER ZONE UNTIL THEY'RE ISSUED A PASS. >> HERE'S THE LITTLE CHECKPOINT. THIS IS FAMILY. >> WAITED THREE AND A HALF MONTHS TO FINALLY SEE THEIR PROPERTY. >> BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY SEE IT AND FEEL. HILL AND YOU KNOW THAT EVERYTHING IS GONE, REALITY SETS IN AND IT REALLY HURTS. >> THEY ACTUALLY HAD TWO HOMES ON THIS PROPERTY AND YEARS EARLIER THEY HAD A THIRD. LIKE SO MANY FAMILIES ON THE ISLANDS, THEY CHERISH AND PRESERVE THEIR HISTORY. IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR MULTIPLE GENERATIONS TO HAVE LIVED IN ONE PLACE. SO THIS ISN'T ONE LIFETIME OF MEMORIES LYING IN THIS RUBBLE. IT'S MANY, BUT THEY ARE ALIVE. >> THE DAY OF THE FIRE. YOU WERE HERE, RIGHT? MHM. IN THE HALLWAY RIGHT THERE IN THE HALLWAY, SITTING DOWN IN THE HALLWAY BECAUSE THE WIND WAS SO STRONG. >> WE WERE AFRAID THE WIND WAS WOOD WOOD BREAK. >> IT WAS HER NEIGHBOR WHO WARNED THEM THE FIRE WAS COMING. PHOEBE, LA'S DAUGHTER, WASTED NO TIME. >> SO I CAME IN, GRABBED HER AND SAID, WE GOT TO GO THAT QUICK ACTION MAY HAVE SAVED THEIR LIVES. >> REPORTING FROM LAHAINA, JEREMY LEE KITV REPORTER JEREMY LEE HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE FIRE AND ALL THAT WENT WRONG. >> WHY IS THIS INTERSECTION IMPORTANT? >> THIS IS THE MAIN WAY OUT TO THE NORTH OF LAHAINA, AND IT WAS COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN FOR AT LEAST 2.5 HOURS AT THE HEIGHT OF THE FIRE. >> AND WE KNOW THAT THIS HIGHWAY WAS SHUT DOWN BECAUSE TRAVIS MILLER, A LOCAL, STOOD RIGHT WHERE I'M STANDING. AND HE FILMED FOR A PERIOD OF OVER TWO HOURS. >> POLICE SHUT IT DOWN DUE TO DOWNED POWER LINES. BUT BUT THOSE LINES WERE HARMLESS. >> HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC SAYS THAT THE POWER WAS TURNED OFF IN THE MORNING, SO THEY COULD HAVE UTILIZED THIS HIGHWAY. BUT WHERE WAS THE COMMUNICATION ON WHERE WAS THE COORDINATION INSTEAD? >> PEOPLE COULDN'T GET OUT OF THEIR GRIDLOCK NEIGHBORHOODS. YOU WERE DIVERTED TOWARDS THE WATER, TOWARDS FRONT STREET. >> YOU COULD ACTUALLY SEE THE CARS BEING FUNNELED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND DEEPER INTO HIS LAHAINA, WHERE THERE WAS NO WAY OUT THAT ONE ONE EMERGENCY. >> HOW CAN I HELP YOU? I'M CALLING DOWN FROM LAHAINA. WE'RE ON FRONT STREET IN BAKER. THERE ARE A BUNCH OF CARS STUCK IN TRAFFIC DOWN HERE, AND THE STRUCTURES AROUND US ARE ON FIRE . YOU WERE JUST STUCK. >> THERE WAS NOWHERE TO GO AND THERE WAS NO HELP. >> THIS IS VIDEO I SHOT ON THAT ILL FATED FRONT STREET JUST HOURS AFTER THE TRAGEDY IN THE HILLS ABOVE LAHAINA. JEREMY TAKES ME TO WHERE MANY BELIEVE THE FIRE STARTED ON HOMES GOING IN. >> AND IF YOU LOOK AT BODY CAM VIDEO IN THE 3 P.M. HOUR, THE FIRST HOUR REALLY OF THE FIRE, THE FIREFIGHTERS AND EVEN POLICE OFFICERS ARE GRABBING HOSES AND THESE HOUSES ARE SAVED. >> BUT THE FIERCE WINDS QUICKLY PUSH THAT FIRE DOWN THE HILL AND WITHIN 2.5 HOURS, ALL OF LAHAINA WAS GONE. AND 100 PEOPLE WERE KILLED. >> YOU GOT IT, MOM? YEP. >> NOW THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES ARE LEFT TO DEAL WITH THE TRAGEDY AND THE REPORTS OF PREDATORS SWOOPING IN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HEARTBROKEN ARE TRUE. >> I ALREADY HAVE HAD THREE THREE CALLS TO BUY MY PROPERTY. WAS IT THE FIRST? >> THE DAY AFTER I THINK WAS THE FIRST ONE? >> THAT RESPECT IS WHAT MAGNIFIES HER CHALLENGES. THEY TELL ME THE OUTSIDE WORLD JUST DOESN'T GET IT. THESE AREN'T BURNED DOWN BUILDINGS, IT'S THEIR ANCESTRY. AND NO MATTER HOW DETERMINED THEY ARE TO PROTECT IT, THEY WORRY IT MAY ALREADY BE TOO LATE AND THAT IS THE AGONY WITHIN THE SILENCE. AND YOU CAN HEAR IT LOUD AND CLEAR. MORE THAN 2200 BUILDINGS BURNED TO THE GROUND. THE VAST MAJORITY WERE NOT JUST HOMES, BUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR LOCAL WORKING CLASS PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW FACING WHAT COULD BE YEARS OF HOMELESS MISERY. THERE IS NO PLAN IN PLACE YET ON WHEN OR EVEN HOW LAHAINA WILL BE REBUILT , AND UNTIL IT IS, THERE IS NO INFRASTRUCTURE, NO HUB FOR PEOPLE TO FIND WORK. THEY HAVE A LONG, LONG WAY TO GO. >> IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO TELL THEIR STORIES. PEOPLE AREN'T HEARING IT ENOUGH AND EVERYBODY IS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSED THIS FIRE. >> WE DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO THAT EITHER. THERE ARE MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY AND THEY HAVE NOT SHOWN US WHAT
