A series of wildfires on the island of Maui last week turned into the worst disaster the state of Hawai’i has faced in the 21st century. While the official death count has already reached 99, a staggering number (in the thousands) remain missing, and an estimated $6 billion in property was destroyed by the blazes. The most destructive fire had turned much of Lahaina, the royal capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1820-1845, to rubble.
In the aftermath of the disaster, San Francisco Chronicle senior NBA writer Connor Letourneau reached out to former Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson, who has lived in Maui since his retirement.