Democratic Hawaii Governor Josh Green advised state officials to protect citizens against profiteers swooping in to make a quick buck off the suffering locals recovering from a deadly wildfire, Newsweek reports, specifically looking at ways to stop real estate speculators from grabbing up destroyed properties.
“I’ve reached out to the Attorney General to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed,” Green said in a press release. “Moreover, I would caution people that it’s going to be a very long time, before any growth, or housing can be built. And so, you would be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here.”
While the fires on the island are now largely contained, they are still massive: the 678-acre Upcountry/Kula fire is currently 65% contained while the Lahaina fire has grown to around 2,170 acres and is currently 85% contained.