Maui wildfire burns beloved 150-year-old banyan tree

The unprecedented wildfires that raged through Maui Island in Hawaii have also claimed a tree described as the ’heartbeat’ of the historic Lahaina beach town. Before and after images of the 150-year-old banyan tree show it sustained significant damage in the fire, which raced through dry vegetation in the hills and into the town of 13,000 people on Tuesday evening. The ferocious blaze quickly incinerated historic wooden buildings and forced thousands of people to flee ‘Heartbeat of Lahaina Town’: wildfire chars beloved 150-year-old banyan tree Death toll from Hawaii wildfires increases to 55 as search for survivors continues