A national ghost tour company is being denounced for a planned offering in a Maui city devastated two years ago by wildfires that took the lives of more than 100 people. According to a local media report, U.S. Ghost Adventures recently launched a franchise in the community of Lahaina. Word of the tour, which promises patrons that they will "discover the chilling and tragic history" of the area, has been met with understandable outrage from residents who are still reeling from the 2023 wildfires that killed over 100 people and wiped out a staggering 80% of the community.

Resident Kiha Kaina, whose father perished in the tragedy, called the proposed tour "just one of the many exploitations of our land" and mused that "it hurts all of us, and it hurts me to know that somebody's going to come in and try to make money off a situation, you know, that is so dear to our hearts." That sentiment was echoed by native ghost researcher Lopaka Kapanui, who argued that exploring the haunted nature of the area might be appropriate in the future when the tragedy is more of a distant memory, but "to do it two years after the devastation is completely disrespectful."

U.S. Ghost Adventures has yet to respond to the growing furor surrounding the Lahaina tour, which remains listed on their website. That said, one would not be surprised if the offering is ultimately eliminated from their extensive list of gatherings. On that note, this is not the first controversy for U.S. Ghost Adventures, as it has been widely criticized by many paranormal researchers who argue that the company's aggressive expansion of franchises across the country in recent years is a significant threat to local ghost tour groups that have long been a part of the fabric of their respective communities.