Lahaina church miraculously untouched by Maui wildfires
Stunning video shows a historic Catholic church in Lahaina miraculously still standing and unscathed after devastating wildfires ripped through Maui — while the rest of the historic town was turned into an apocalyptical nightmare.
Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, which opened in 1846, was captured in a video, posted on TikTok, standing tall and untouched.
When the camera pans around, the rest of the town — the largest tourist destination on Maui — looks like a smoldering hellscape of rubble.
Viewers hailed the jaw-dropping miracle as an act of God.
“A def sign from God,” one TikTok user wrote, adding, “he is with you. hold on and keep that faith. we are all praying for you.”
“Wow. God continues to give signs even during the storm,” another viewer commented.
Msgr. Terrence Watanabe, pastor of the nearby parish of St. Anthony’s, also expressed his shock at the apparent act of divine intervention.
“Basically what we know is the fact that all of Lahaina Town has been consumed by fire. It’s all gone. The church, Maria Lanakila [Our Lady of Victory], is still standing, as is the rectory,” he told The Pillar.
Members of the church’s community also expressed their gratitude on Facebook, according to the Daily Mail.
Follow the latest NYP coverage of the deadly Maui wildfires
“May She be the beacon of hope…to help the rest of the community,” parishioner Jeffrey Chang wrote.
“May she be the beacon of hope to the people of Lahaina!!!! Praise the Lord… upon this rock I will build my church!!! come and follow me…,” added Jeffrey Domdoma.
What we know about the Maui Wildfires
Over 50 people have died in the wake of the Maui wildfires that started late Tuesday.
“We’ve still got dead bodies floating on the seawall,” one Lahaina resident told Hawaii News Now. “They’ve been sitting there since last night.”
The wildfires, fanned by strong winds have burned multiple buildings, forced evacuations, and caused power outages in several communities.
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora was partly to blame for the strong winds that knocked out power as night came. About 13,000 residents in Maui are without power, according to reports.
People are rushing to the ocean to escape the smoke and flames fanned by Hurricane Dora.
Fire crews in Maui are battling multiple fires in the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. Firefighters have struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines.
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The death toll from the catastrophic Maui wildfires climbed to 80 on Friday, becoming the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii’s history — surpassing that of a tsunami that killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1960.
In Lahaina, a total of 2,207 structures were damaged or destroyed and 2,170 acres have burned, according to the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and FEMA.
It could cost more than $5.5 billion to rebuild the popular resort town, CNN reported.
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