Lahaina family finds cherished heirlooms and devastation in first home visit after deadly wildfire

By AUDREY McAVOY and GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Among the first families to return to the burn zone in Lahaina is that of Leola Vierra, who spent nearly 50 years living in a home she designed before it burned down Aug. 8 in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. Vierra, her husband and two adult children sifted through the rubble where the home stood Tuesday, discovering keepsakes that included the charred remnants of her late father’s pistol, dating to his days as a Lahaina policeman from the 1940s through the 1970s. Her children said they intend to rebuild on the site.