Beyond the burn zone: University of Hawaiʻi study finds mental health crisis after 2023 Maui wildfires not just among residents

The August 2023 Maui wildfires are linked to significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety among residents, with impacts extending beyond the burn zones and closely tied to housing and income disruption.

That’s according to findings in a new University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa study published March 11 in JAMA Psychiatry.

The study examined 2,453 adults — including 1,535 wildfire-exposed residents on Maui and 918 unexposed residents from other Hawaiʻi counties — with data gathered between January 2024 and February 2025.

Data was collected through Maui Wildfire Exposure Study and University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization Rapid Health Survey.

Key findings

• Residents inside burn zones had a 53% higher risk of depression and 67% higher risk of anxiety compared with unexposed residents.
• Maui residents living outside burn zones also experienced significantly elevated mental health risks, including more than double the risk of suicidal thoughts.
• More than half of the wildfire’s impact on depression and anxiety could be traced to housing instability and lost income.
• Being employed was strongly protective against depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.

“These findings show that the wildfire’s psychological toll is not confined to the areas that burned,” said the study’s lead author and University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization professor Ruben Juarez in a release about the study’s findings. “The social and economic disruption — especially housing instability and income disruption — is driving much of the distress we see across the community.”

Co-author and University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine professor Alika Maunakea added that climate disasters affect biological, social and economic systems at the same time.

“If we only rebuild structures and do not stabilize housing, employment and mental health services, we leave communities vulnerable long after the smoke clears,” said Maunakea in the release.

The August 2023 fires, which killed more than 100 people and destroyed more than 2,200 structures, displaced an estimated 10,000 residents. The study found that psychological distress persisted six to 18 months after the disaster.

“The harm did not stop at the burn zone,” said study co-author and mental health therapist with Lahaina, Maui-based Maui Wildfire Exposure Study Christopher Knightsbridge in the release. “Housing disruption and income loss have extended the crisis into daily life, which is why recovery must include stronger housing, economic and mental health supports.”