 to aid recovery efforts in fire-ravaged Maui in Hawaii - as firefighting efforts may have been hampered by limited staff and equipment Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez have pledged $100million (£80m) to support recovery efforts in Hawaii which has been devastated by wildfires. The couple announced the pledge on Instagram on Saturday. Lauren wrote: 'Jeff and I are heartbroken by what's happening in Maui. We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated. 'Jeff and I are creating a Maui Fund and are dedicating $100million to help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves.' The number of confirmed deaths from the Maui wildfires had risen to 93, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than 100 years. Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just three per cent of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said. For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US There were 2,200 structures destroyed or damaged just in West Maui, and 86% of those were residential buildings. Governor Josh Green said 'the losses approach $6billion in estimate", adding that it would take 'an incredible amount of time" to recover. Fuelled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the wildfires on Maui raced through parched brush covering the island. Hawaii emergency management records do not indicate the warning sirens sounded before the fire hit the town. Officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach. The most serious blaze swept into Lahaina on Tuesday and destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000, leaving a grid of grey rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes. Maui water officials w){kind=link}
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren Sánchez have committed $100million (£80m) to aid recovery efforts in fire-ravaged Maui in Hawaii – as firefighting efforts may have been hampered by limited staff and equipment
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez have pledged $100million (£80m) to support recovery efforts in Hawaii which has been devastated by wildfires.
The couple announced the pledge on Instagram on Saturday. Lauren wrote: “Jeff and I are heartbroken by what’s happening in Maui. We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated.
“Jeff and I are creating a Maui Fund and are dedicating $100million to help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves.”
The number of confirmed deaths from the Maui wildfires had risen to 93, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than 100 years. Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just three per cent of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said.