Anger grows as Hawaii fire death toll nears 100

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Aug 2023 08:59

Cadaver dogs continue their searching of burned-out homes and vehicles in Lahaina.

Destroyed homes and cars shown in this August 13, 2023, photo in Lahaina, Hawai (AP)

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 chore of searching 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 told CNN's "State of the Union," adding that they 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 John Pelletier, Maui Police Chief. "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, adding 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.

'Deadliest' wildfire to occur in US since 1918

According to the National Fire Protection Association, the wildfire is the deadliest to occur in the United States since 1918, when 453 people perished in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The number of fatalities topped that of the Camp Fire in California in 2018, which killed 86 people and almost completely destroyed the little town of Paradise.

Despite the islands being vulnerable to natural disasters, including tsunamis, earthquakes, and strong storms, questions are being raised about how prepared officials were for the calamity.

In its emergency management plan from the previous year, the State of Hawaii rated the risk that wildfires posed to residents as "low".

However, the layers of warning -- supposed to protect a population in the event of a calamity -- do not appear to have worked.

Throughout the crisis, Maui experienced a number of power outages that prevented many citizens from receiving emergency notifications on their cell phones.

Numerous Lahaina locals reported hearing about the fire from neighbors fleeing down the street or seeing it for themselves without any emergency sirens sounding.

"The mountain behind us caught on fire and nobody told us jack," resident Vilma Reed, 63, told AFP.

"You know when we found that there was a fire? When it was across the street from us."

Some survivors felt that official intransigence was making the terrible days that followed the disaster worse by putting up barriers that prevented them from returning to their houses.

Even anybody who could show they lived in Lahaina would not be permitted entry while safety evaluations and screenings were taking place, according to Maui police.