The deadliest US wildfire in more than a century has claimed lives in Hawaii, and the death toll was projected to surpass 100 on Sunday, sparking claims that inactivity by the authorities led to the significant loss of life.
Officials have confirmed 93 fatalities, but they have issued a warning that the number may increase as recovery teams working with cadaver dogs continue their gruesome chore of combing burned-out homes and vehicles in Lahaina.
Early on Wednesday morning, a swiftly spreading fire nearly completely destroyed the ancient coastal village on the Hawaiian island of Maui. According to survivors, no warnings were given.
Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono responded that she would wait until the findings of an investigation announced by the state’s attorney general when questioned on Sunday about why none of the island’s sirens had been activated.
“I’m not going to make any excuses for this tragedy,” Hirono, a Democrat, told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“We are really focused, as far as I’m concerned, on the need for rescue, and, sadly, the location of more bodies.”
Official estimates indicate that more than 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed when the fire tore through Lahaina, causing $5.5 billion in damage and displacing thousands of people.
“The remains we’re finding are from a fire that melted metal,” said Maui Police Chief John Pelletier. “When we pick up the remains… they fall apart.”
He continued by pleading with those who had missing relatives to donate DNA samples in order to facilitate identification.
Pelletier stated that there may still be hundreds of individuals missing and that cadaver dogs still had a huge area to search.
“We’re going as fast as we can. But just so you know, three percent — that’s what’s been searched with the dogs,” he said.
