Hawaii Governor considers temporary ban ban on sales of any properties damaged in the fire

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said he would consider a temporary ban on sales of any properties damaged in the fire that leveled Lahaina last week, to ensure residents aren’t permanently displaced.

As the tragedy’s death toll rose to 99 Monday, Green said he had reached out to the state’s attorney general to discuss a moratorium on property sales in the historic seaside town. Maui had been facing a serious housing crunch and unaffordable prices before being hit by the deadliest fire in the US in over a century. Green said he didn’t want to see the remains of Lahaina snapped up by developers.

“You will be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here,” he told reporters during an update on the fires. “For my part, I will try to allow no one from outside the state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lahaina should be in the future.”