The fast-moving wildfires ravaging Maui have killed at least 36 people and decimated hundreds of structures – many of them cultural and historical landmarks – on the once-idyllic Hawaiian island.
Among the destroyed buildings is the eponymous Lahaina restaurant of British rocker Mick Fleetwood.
“This is a devastating moment for Maui, and many are suffering unimaginable loss,” the 76-year-old Fleetwood Mac co-founder posted on Facebook late Wednesday.
“Fleetwood’s on Front Street has been lost and while we are heartbroken, our main priority is the safety of our dear staff and team members.”
Lahaina — a beloved historic hamlet with a population of about 12,000 — has been “home” for Fleetwood for decades.
The town has suffered some of the worst damage in the fires, with some residents jumping into the water to escape the blazing heat and others likening the disaster to “an apocalypse.”
The entire island of Maui has long been a favorite destination for rock stars, Hollywood A-listers and titans of industry.
In 2021, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 59, dropped a cool $78 million on a 14-acre estate surrounded by thousands of acres of dormant lava fields near Le Perouse Bay – an area in the southwest that appeared to be less impacted than other areas of the island, as three fires still raged Thursday.
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey, 69, has spent more than 15 years living part-time in Maui, where she has various properties.
This past February, she paid $6.6 million for 870 acres of land in Kula, an area in central Maui sandwiched between the South Maui and Upcountry wildfires.
At least two homes had been destroyed in Kula and some 80 people were evacuated from 40 homes, fire officials told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Winfrey also owns 1,200 acres elsewhere on the island, including in Hana and near Mount Haleakala, MauiNow.com reported. Both areas are relatively far from the fires.
Nestled in the slopes of Mount Haleakala, a 10,000-foot volcanic peak, Winfrey’s secluded farmhouse getaway features a wraparound porch that appeals to her rural upbringing.
“I love, love, love my house,” Winfrey told Oprah.com in 2006. “It’s a gem, so sweet and exquisite. Such a real, normal house. It feels like a nice blanket … A lovely and soft cashmere one.”
Clint Eastwood, 93, is another longtime Maui resident.
He has reportedly lived on the island part-time since the late 1970s, soaking up the sun and stunning ocean views in Kapalua, a stretch along the northwest coast less than 10 miles from Lahaina.
Elsewhere in Maui County, rocker Steven Tyler, 75, is said to have a 3,000-square-foot waterfront mansion on a nature preserve in Wailea that he bought for $4.8 million in 2012.
While parts of Wailea appear relatively near the South Maui fire, some resorts in the southwest Maui hotspot – including the Four Seasons Wailea, where “The White Lotus” was filmed – are open for business.
Other famous Maui residents reportedly include actors Jim Carrey, Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson.
Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar also has a bar and restaurant in Kahului, near Maui’s main airport, which remains operational as tourists and residents flee the island.
Former President Barack Obama, who was born in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, said the widespread devastation was difficult to watch from afar.
“It’s tough to see some of the images coming out of Hawai’i — a place that’s so special to so many of us,” Obama, 62, wrote Wednesday on social media. “Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down.”
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