The Maui wildfires are now the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history in the past century, having claimed the lives of 93 people.
The number of confirmed deaths has yet to surpass the amount caused by the Cloquet fire of 1918, in Minnesota and Wisconsin, which claimed at least 453 lives.
While surveying the damage in the town on Aug. 12, Gov. Josh Green echoed the common sentiment that the official death toll is “going to rise.”
Only 3 Percent of Search Area Covered
Cadaver dogs—those trained to find human remains—continue searching the ruins, but they have covered only 3 percent of the search area, Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said during an Aug. 12 news conference.The main fire took place in Lahaina, a historic town in western Maui that was home to more than 12,000 people. Once a thriving, green area, it now looks like a barren wasteland.
4,500 in Need of Shelter
About 4,500 people are in need of shelter, county officials said on Facebook early on Aug. 12, citing figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pacific Disaster Center.Officials have secured at least 1,000 hotel rooms for people who lost their homes and are arranging for rental properties to serve as housing at no cost to families, Mr. Green said. More than 1,400 people had been taken in at emergency shelters.
Hawaii has an emergency alert system, but it didn’t activate the various sirens stationed around the island before this fire. Officials also tried to send alerts to mobile phones, televisions, and radio stations, but widespread power and cellular outages impeded their reach.
Following the alert failures, officials vowed to examine the state’s emergency notification systems. Anne Lopez, the state’s attorney general, said she was initiating a review of the decision-making before and during the fire, while Mr. Green told CNN he had authorized a review of the emergency response.
The wildfires started on the evening of Aug. 8 and caught residents by surprise, with many having to flee with only the clothes on their backs. Some were forced to wade into the Pacific Ocean to survive.
The fires were partly fueled by dry conditions and strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing hundreds of miles southwest of the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean. A low-pressure system to the west near Japan is also contributing to the high sustained winds. Dry vegetation also contributed to the fires’ spread.
The causes of the fires have not yet been officially determined.
Maui water officials warned Lahaina and Kula residents on Aug. 11 not to drink any running water, including boiled water, and to take only short, lukewarm showers in a well-ventilated room to avoid exposure to possible chemical vapors.
Across West Maui, at least 2,200 buildings—of which 86 percent were homes—were damaged or destroyed in West Maui, Mr. Green said. Across the island, the damage was estimated at close to $6 billion, he added. FEMA has estimated the cost to rebuild Lahaina at $5.5 billion.
