Hawaii wildfire death toll rises to 55: latest updates

Jump to content Sign up to our newsletters Subscribe News Sport Voices Culture Lifestyle Travel Premium Close Wildfire roars through Hawaii’s historic Lahaina As the death toll from the devastating wildfires on the island of Maui , Hawaii climbs to 55, officials believe it could be the deadliest disaster in the state’s history. On Friday morning, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said search and recovery efforts were underway for the approximately 1,000 people still unaccounted for. So far, officials have only searched for people outside of buildings but were awaiting other support teams, including cadaver dogs, to search the interior of buildings. Mr Green said that those unaccounted for are not presumed dead but that hundreds have been left without communications and so their safety is unclear. ‘Here’s the challenge: there’s no power, no internet, no phone, no radio. You compound some of that. So when we’re speaking to our officers, we need them to get a sat phone,’ Mr Green said. The wildfires continue to devastate Lahaina , with more than 1,700 buildings and billions of dollars in property destroyed. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said that the historic town has been totally wiped out. ‘It’s all gone. None of it’s there. It’s all burnt to the ground,’ Mr Bissen said. 1691774879 Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Friday that she and President Joe Biden are monitoring the wildfire disaster in Hawaii but do not plan to visit yet so they do not take away resources. ‘We don’t want to distract from the resources that need to go in to the victims of the tragedy, and of course the needs of the first responders have to be able to focus on that issue and not perry about focusing on us,’ Ms Harris said. She added that she and Mr Biden are ‘deeply concerned’ about what is happening in Maui. ‘We are coordinating federal resources to swiftly get there to support the work that has to be done,’ Ms Harris said. Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 18:27 1691772959 Mayor Richard Bissen walks past the remains of the Sugar Cane Train depot in Lahaina, Hawaii, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, left, and Mayor Richard Bissen walk past the burned remains along Front Street in Lahaina Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 17:55 1691770859 The County of Maui provided updates on Friday morning on the situation in Hawaii after wildfires ravaged parts of Maui. Approximately 21 firefighters from the Honolulu Fire Department were working to extinguish flare-ups and contain fires in Lahaina, Pulehu / Kihei and Upcountry. They are being assisted by seven supervisory personnel and four vehicles. A nine-member team also arrived to conduct search and rescue efforts. FEMA search-and-rescue teams as well as the Nevada Task Force arrived Thursday evening with cadaver dogs to conduct recovery efforts. Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 17:20 1691768459 In an update from the County of Maui, officials said more cellphone service was available in West Maui on Friday. ‘If you have a cell signal and cannot make a call, try texting instead,’ the County of Maui wrote on Facebook. Power and water are slowly being restored as well in parts of Hawaii where the wildfires hit. Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 16:40 1691766839 As of Friday morning, a total of 55 people have died as a result of the devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii – but that number could increase. Richard Bissen, the mayor of Maui County said the death toll is only based on people who were found outside as the inside of buildings have yet to be searched, he told TODAY.  ‘Right now our focus is finding any missing persons,’ Mr Bissen said. ‘We want to reunite families.’ Authorities are waiting for FEMA officials to help in the interior search for people. Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 16:13 1691765159 For those looking to travel to Hawaii or currently travelling to Hawaii, authorities are asking to cancel or return home so hotels can be used to provide shelter for those who have lot their homes. At a news conference on Wednesday, Hawaii’s State Department of Transportation director said non-essential travel to Maui was strongly discouraged. The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) echoed the statement saying: ‘Non-essential travel to Maui is strongly discouraged at this time. Visitors currently on Maui for non-essential travel reasons are being asked to leave the island as rescue and recovery efforts continue.’ Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 15:45 1691763659 Jason Momoa, the American actor from Hawaii, has posted several resources on Instagram for those looking to assist in the search, recovery and rebuilding efforts in Maui after the wildfires. ‘We are devastated and heartbroken for our friends and ‘ohana on Maui who been impacted by the recent wildfires,’ Mr Momoa wrote. The actor provided several links to nonprofit organisations accepting donations to assist in relief. Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 15:20 1691762459 Search and recovery efforts are underway in Maui where wildfires devastated towns and neighbourhoods and assisting in the recovery are cadaver dogs. While the initial death toll in Hawaii was around 36 people, governor Josh Green said he was anticipating more lost lives as officials begin searching the remaining homes of people who were unable to leave. Cadaver dogs from California and Washington were in Maui on Thursday to assist in those efforts, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Robert Fenton said. ‘The devastation I saw today is significant,’ Mr Fenton said. Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 15:00 1691761259 The blazes currently devastating Maui and the Big Island in Hawaii already constitute the state’s worst natural disaster since 1960 – as at least 55 people are confirmed dead, thousands of residents and tourists have been forced to evacuate and the picturesque and historic beach resort of Lahaina has been destroyed. What’s more, the tragedy also already represents America’s second-deadliest wildfire outbreak of the last 100 years, with only the Camp Fire that struck California in 2018 surpassing the current Hawaiian death toll, which is still rising and could yet surpass it. Climate crisis and agricultural neglect are blamed for the Pacific state’s increasing vulnerability to fires, which were until recently considered a rare occurrence on the islands Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 14:40 1691759726 During a press conference on Thursday, Hawaii governor, Josh Green, appealed to Hawaii residents with unharmed homes to take others in as they continue search and recovery efforts. ‘What we saw was likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii’s state history,’ Mr Green said. ‘All of us have a loved on here on Maui that we know of, that lost a house, that lost a friend.’ Mr Green said the state would be working with hotels to find places to shelter those who were affected by the wildfires. ‘If you have additional space in your home, if you have the capacity to take someone in from west Maui, please do,’ Mr Green said. ‘Please consider bringing those people into your lives.’ Ariana Baio 11 August 2023 14:15 Big Island Maui Hawaii Wildfire wildfires An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina AFP via Getty Images Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in