LAHAINA, Hawaii--Wildfires that rendered this historic former Hawaiian capital a smoldering ruin also left deep scars among the descendants of 19th century Japanese immigrants brought to the Valley Isle to work the sugarcane fields.

Electrician Clifton Akiyama, 79, a third-generation Nikkei who lives in Lahaina, recalled receiving a phone call on the morning of Aug. 8 from a friend who had a problem with an electric panel. But Akiyama was unable to fix it because the wind was too strong.

He began smelling smoke from the wildfires in the afternoon after he returned home. The color of the smoke also turned from gray to black.

Around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 8, a police officer dropped by and urged him to evacuate. Packing simple foods such as apples, potatoes and bottled water, Akiyama and his wife drove to a nearby public facility, but two hours later sought refuge farther afield.

They spent the night in the car on a road shoulder. Thinking they would be able to return home soon, they stayed in parking lots at shopping centers or near the beach.

On Aug. 10, they moved to an area where their mobile phones got a signal and Akiyama received a message from a friend that said footage from a drone indicated his home had been engulfed in the flames.

Akiyama recalled being skeptical.

“I thought maybe they made a mistake, that they were looking at the wrong house,” he said.

But that night the Akiyamas came to within 400 meters of where they had lived and found their home gone.

After spending another night in the car, they began staying with a friend in Kahului in central Maui.

The Akiyama house was built in the 1960s by his uncle, a carpenter.

But Akiyama tries not to be too despondent.

“That house is my family house,” he said. “I was supposed to protect the house. We will rebuild this house, same place, same house.”

Vashti Daise, 61, is a fourth-generation Japanese American who also lost her home.

Six years ago, she moved from Missouri to Lahaina, where her grandparents lived.

As a child, she often visited her grandparents. Because she took part in the activities of the Lahaina Jodo Mission, it and Japanese culture became intertwined in her life.

Daise is an officer of the temple, which is now assessing the damage to its buildings destroyed by the wildfire.

“It’s heartbreaking and devastating what happened, but the heart is still there,” she said. “You know, the body might be gone, but the spirit and the heart are in the people and in the history and in the memories and those who are all still there.”

While the extent of the fire damage is still being totted up, some historical reminders, such as a Buddhist statue and a temple bell, survived the catastrophe that is feared to have claimed hundreds of lives.

Japanese immigrated to Hawaii from 1868, the first year of the Meiji Era, which lasted until 1912. They were brought to Hawaii to work the sugarcane fields. By 1924, about 200,000 Japanese had moved to Hawaii.

Many of the first immigrants lived in Lahaina, the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845. This was before Honolulu became the capital and before the kingdom was overthrown and Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898.

The Rev. Gensho Hara, 87, has seen how ties with the Nikkei community have changed through the generations due to his long ties with the Lahaina Jodo Mission dating back to 1963.

For the first generation, the temple was a place to gather with others who spoke the same language.

For second- and third-generation Japanese Americans, the temple was often a base for workers from the pineapple and sugarcane fields to organize labor unions.

Later generations planted more diverse roots and temple activities such as the annual Bon dance and the ringing of the “joya no kane” bells on New Year’s Eve now attract not only Japanese Americans, but also those from other ethnic groups.

Another of the three Japanese Buddhist temples in Lahaina is the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission.

But the Rev. Ai Hironaka, 46, the head priest, is still not sure about the status of the temple or his home adjacent to the temple.

On Aug. 8 as he and his family fled the fire, Hironaka stopped the car because he wanted to return to the temple to recover the main Buddhist image. He ran for about 1.6 kilometers but was unable to get closer because of the heat from the approaching fire that had consumed the temple complex.

“While I will have to draw a line somewhere and move on to the next stage, I am still not sure when that will be,” Hironaka said. “It may be when I actually see with my own eyes (what happened to the temple and our home).”

However, Hironaka said he had no intention of shunning the task of rebuilding.

“While the town may not return to its former state, the question will be how those who are living now decide to build a new Lahaina. I think it is important to continue holding a feeling of rebuilding this community with my friends,” he said.