Former President Barack Obama‘s home in Hawaii has been discussed on social media in relation to the current wildfires in Maui, and how it has avoided damage due to its location.
“Obama’s estate was spared from the Maui fires because it’s on Oahu,” X, formerly Twitter user James Surowiecki wrote.
Similarly, X user Bradley P. Moss wrote, “True, but mostly because their estate is 116 miles away. In Oahu. Not in Maui,” responding to a screenshot of a social media post saying that the Obama’s home has been “spared” by the Maui wildfires.
Earlier this month, several wildfires in Maui began spreading across the Hawaiian island, causing widespread property damage, injuries and deaths.
Wesam Taleb/Getty
On Tuesday, officials in Maui County provided an update on the current wildfires stating that the Upcountry/Kula fire has grown to around 678 acres and is currently 75 percent contained. The Lahaina fire is currently 85 percent contained and has grown to 2,170 acres.
“The number of confirmed fatalities was 106, the Maui Police Department reported Tuesday 8/15. Police identified two of them as Robert Dyckman, 74, of Lahaina and Buddy Jantoc, 79, of Lahaina. Three others have been identified, with police saying their names will be released when their families are notified,” the update said.
As the map below shows, Obama’s home in Oahu is located on a separate Hawaiian island from Maui, and according to Google, the two islands are over 100 miles away from each other, separated by the Pacific Ocean.
Screenshot via Google Maps
According to Fox News, in 2015, the residence in Oahu was purchased by Obama’s friend Marty Nesbitt, who also serves as the chairman of the Obama Foundation. BestofHawaii.com reported that the home was previously made popular by the show “Magnum P.I.”
On Monday, Obama responded to the fires in Maui in a video posted to X where he said, “We know find ourselves mourning the lives that are lost and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families that have lost so much.”
Obama went on to urge his followers to help the victims of the Maui wildfires by donating to the Hawaii Red Cross. “I’m asking you to do everything you can, to generously support the Malama Maui effort. If all of us, the Ohana, pull together, and do as much as we can to give back to an island and a town and people who have given us so much, I’m absolutely confident that Lahaina and Maui and those families are gonna be able to rebuild,” Obama said.
Newsweek reached out to the Obama Foundation via email for comment.
