Reality TV star Paris Hilton is being criticized for lounging in Maui while wildfires rage just 30 miles away.
Hilton posted a photo of herself on Instagram on Saturday, posing in a bikini on a beach. The caption read, “Enjoying the beautiful weather in Maui.”
The photo quickly drew criticism from social media users, who accused Hilton of being insensitive to the people who have been affected by the wildfires.
“The same waters that our people just died in three days ago are the same waters the very next day these visitors — tourists — were swimming in,” one angry local told the BBC in an interview.
“There are people who have lost their homes and their loved ones, and you’re just lounging on the beach?” one user wrote.
“This is so tone-deaf,” another user said. “Have some compassion for the people who are suffering.”
The main reason for keeping tourists away is to streamline efforts to make sure that locals are able to get the assistance they need without distraction, additional reports from the ground suggest that visitors could potentially be putting themselves at risk by staying.
According to a report published Monday by The Daily Mail, despite police presence in Lahaina, burned and evacuated homes have been looted and locals have been robbed at gunpoint in the days since the deadly blaze – even as search and recovery efforts continue and the death toll rises.
Matt Robb, who co-owns The Dirty Monkey bar in Lahaina, said, “There’s some police presence. There’s some small military presence, but at night people are being robbed at gunpoint.
He went on to say that looters had been seen “going through houses,” adding, “So where is the support? I don’t think our government and our leaders, at this point, know how to handle this or what to do.”
Hilton has not responded to the criticism.
Paris Hilton slammed as 'tone deaf' for vacationing in Maui with her family after wildfire that killed 96 and counting pic.twitter.com/AtYyaujGVI
— Alix (@AlixG_2) August 14, 2023
