VIDEO: At first glance, the Kula Sandalwoods Cafe and Inn appears to have emerged unscathed from the August wildfire.
Much of the property was spared from the inferno that torched more than a thousand acres and destroyed dozens of homes.
Kula residents recalled having to help battle the blaze themselves with their own trucks and water tanks as the fire department was spread thin fighting flames across the island.
"There were probably about 40, 50 neighborhood folks who really prevented more disaster and devastation," Kula Sandalwoods owner James Worth remembered.
According to Worth, the Kula fire ignited right next door to his inn and burned about an acre of the property.
Now, about half a year since the tragedy, some in upcountry feel the recovery efforts in Lahaina eclipsed Kula’s catastrophe -- though understandably so since the damage and casualties were so severe on the west side.