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Wildfire roars through Hawaii’s historic Lahaina
The death toll from the devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii has reached 80 as more evacuations are underway in the western area of Kaanapali.
The latest in a string of fires that have ravaged parts of the island triggered the evacuation of the community in Kaanapali on Friday night, the Maui Police Department announced on social media.
In a late evening statement on Friday, Maui County said that the death toll on the island had risen to 80, with officials believing the wildfires could end up being the deadliest disaster in the state’s history. Earlier that day, it said 14,900 visitors left Maui by air Thursday.
Cadaver-sniffing dogs were deployed to search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr said, with Gov Josh Green previously warning the death toll would likely rise as search and rescue operations continue.
Many fire survivors said they did not hear any sirens or receive a warning giving them enough time to prepare, realising they were in danger only when they saw flames or heard explosions. Officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.
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Death toll rises to 80 in Maui wildfires
The death toll has risen to 80 as a result of the wildfires that decimated parts of the island of Maui this past week, officials in Hawaii said Friday.
The number of confirmed fatalities in the 9 p.m. announcement by the County of Maui increased from the previous figure of 67.
Gov. Josh Green had previously warned the death toll would likely rise as search and rescue operations continue. Authorities set a curfew from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday.
“The recovery’s going to be extraordinarily complicated, but we do want people to get back to their homes and just do what they can to assess safely, because it’s pretty dangerous,” Green told Hawaii News Now.
Cadaver-sniffing dogs were deployed to search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said.
Tara Cobham12 August 2023 10:04
The wildfire is already projected to be the second-costliest disaster in Hawaii history, behind only Hurricane Iniki in 1992, according to disaster and risk modeling firm Karen Clark & Company. The fire is the deadliest in the U.S. since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.
The danger on Maui was well known. Maui County’s hazard mitigation plan updated in 2020 identified Lahaina and other West Maui communities as having frequent wildfires and several buildings at risk. The report also noted West Maui had the island’s second-highest rate of households without a vehicle and the highest rate of non-English speakers.
“This may limit the population’s ability to receive, understand and take expedient action during hazard events,” the plan stated.
Maui’s firefighting efforts may have been hampered by limited staff and equipment.
Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, said there are a maximum of 65 county firefighters working at any given time with responsibility for three islands: Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
The department has about 13 fire engines and two ladder trucks, but no off-road vehicles to thoroughly attack brush fires before they reach roads or populated areas, he said.
Attorney General Anne Lopez announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of decision-making and policies affecting the response to the deadly wildfires.
“My Department is committed to understanding the decisions that were made before and during the wildfires and to sharing with the public the results of this review,” Lopez said in a written statement.
Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the wildfires on Maui raced through parched brush covering the island.
The most serious blaze swept into Lahaina on Tuesday and left a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes. Associated Press journalists found the devastation included nearly every building on Front Street, the heart of historic Lahaina and the economic hub of Maui.
There was an eerie traffic jam of charred cars that didn’t escape the inferno as surviving roosters meandered through the ashes. Skeletal remains of buildings bowed under roofs that pancaked in the blaze. Palm trees were torched, boats in the harbor were scorched and the stench of burning lingered.
“It hit so quick, it was incredible,” Kyle Scharnhorst said as he surveyed his damaged apartment complex.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 20:40
The wildfires are the state’s deadliest natural disaster in decades, surpassing a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. An even deadlier tsunami in 1946, which killed more than 150 on the Big Island, prompted development of a territory-wide emergency system with sirens that are tested monthly.
Many fire survivors said they didn’t hear any sirens or receive a warning giving them enough time to prepare, realizing they were in danger only when they saw flames or heard explosions.
“There was no warning,” said Lynn Robinson, who lost her home.
Hawaii emergency management records do not indicate warning sirens sounded before people had to run for their lives. Officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.
Anthony Garcia assessed the devastation as he stood under Lahaina’s iconic banyan tree, now charred, and swept twisted branches into neat piles next to another heap filled with dead animals: cats, roosters and other birds killed by the smoke and flames. Somehow it made sense in a world turned upside-down.
“If I don’t do something, I’ll go nuts,” said Garcia, who lost everything he owned. “I’m losing my faith in God.”
150 FEMA staff on ground to assist local efforts
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 19:57
Maui County raised the number of confirmed deaths to 80 Friday night, and Gov. Josh Green warned that the toll would likely rise as search and rescue operations continue. Authorities set a curfew from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday. Cadaver-sniffing dogs were deployed to search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said.
An updated damage assessment released overnight by Maui County painted a stark picture of the Lahaina fire’s destructive power. More than 80% of the 2,719 structures exposed to the fire were damaged or destroyed — the vast majority of them residential. An estimated 4,500 people are in need of shelter, county officials said on Facebook early Saturday, citing figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center.
“The recovery’s going to be extraordinarily complicated, but we do want people to get back to their homes and just do what they can to assess safely, because it’s pretty dangerous,” Green told Hawaii News Now.
With death toll likely to rise, survivors of the Maui wildfires start returning to ruins
Dogs trained to find bodies sniffed through piles of rubble and ash as stunned survivors of deadly wildfires that killed at least 80 people on the Hawaiian island of Maui took stock of their shattered lives and tried to imagine rebuilding from nothing.
The only items Summer and Gilles Gerling were able to retrieve from the detritus-filled lot where their home once stood in Lahaina were a piggy bank Summer’s father gave her as a child, their daughter’s jade bracelet and watches they gifted each other for their wedding. Their wedding rings were gone.
“Safety was the main concern. These are all material things,” Gilles Gerling said.
The fires nearly wiped out the historic town of 13,000 people and were still not fully contained Friday night on some parts of the island.
A new wildfire Friday evening triggered the evacuation of Kaanapali, a coastal community a few miles north of Lahaina, but crews were able to extinguish it, authorities said.
Death toll may rise as rescue crews search inside burned buildings
Officials are awaiting rescue, search and recovery teams from FEMA to search the inside of buildings as they have better equipment.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 19:00
As flames swallowed Maui, survivors made harrowing escapes
An immigrant cook building a new life. A widow preparing to say goodbye. And a couple taking their vows.
All were caught in the crossfire, forced to flee as flames swallowed parts of Maui, that drop in the Pacific where roads wind past waterfalls, turtles glide through gem-blue waters and a volcano towers overhead.
These are the stories of the survivors:
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 18:45
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