The death toll from a devastating wildfire that ravaged the historic town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui has tragically risen to 93, with officials warning that the number is expected to climb as search and rescue teams continue to comb through the charred remains.
The wildfire, which has reduced much of the centuries-old town to an ashen wasteland, has destroyed thousands of buildings and forced thousands of residents to flee for their lives.
Maui Police Chief John Pelletier revealed that cadaver dogs and search crews have only covered a mere 3% of the extensive search area. "We've got an area that we have to contain that is at least 5 square miles and it is full of our loved ones," Chief Pelletier stated, according to The Associated Press. He further cautioned that the death toll is likely to rise, emphasizing that the true scale of the tragedy is still unknown.
With a current death toll of 93, the Lahaina wildfire has already become the deadliest wildfire in the United States in over a century. Hawaii Governor Josh Green personally surveyed the destruction on Saturday and informed reporters that at least 2,200 buildings in West Maui had been damaged or destroyed, with 86% of them being residential properties. Governor Green acknowledged that the recovery process from the estimated $6 billion in damages across the island would be arduous and time-consuming.
As search and rescue efforts continue, officials are facing the additional challenge of identifying the deceased. Chief Pelletier explained that the remains are often fragile and disintegrate upon discovery. "We pick up the remains and they fall apart... When we find our family and our friends, the remains that we're finding is through a fire that melted metal," he lamented. Pelletier urged families to undergo DNA testing to aid in the identification process, noting that only two individuals have been identified thus far.
While the Lahaina wildfire has claimed numerous lives, two other fires have also been raging on Maui. One is located in the Kihei area of south Maui, while the other is in the mountainous inland communities known as Upcountry. Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported from these fires. Governor Green disclosed that the Upcountry fire has affected 544 structures, with 96% of them being residential properties.
Emergency managers in Maui are working tirelessly to find shelter for the approximately 4,500 displaced individuals, according to county officials who cited figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center.
These wildfires mark the deadliest natural disaster in Hawaii in decades, surpassing the death toll of a 1960 tsunami that claimed 61 lives. The development of a territory-wide emergency alert system with monthly siren tests was prompted by an even deadlier tsunami in 1946, which killed over 150 people on the Big Island.
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