LAHAINA, Hawaii – The death toll from the devastating fires that rampaged through Maui a week ago continues to rise from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than 100 years.
The state’s governor warned that the fatalities could double in the next 10 days. As of the latest update, 99 people have been confirmed dead and search operations for the missing are ongoing.
On Monday, workers moved body bags into refrigerated storage containers adjacent to the Maui Police Forensic Facility, where human remains are stored in the aftermath of the wildfires in Wailuku, Hawaii.
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Maui County officials reported that the Upcountry Fire, burning in rugged terrain, destroyed 19 homes and proved to be one of the most challenging to extinguish. It’s another area of destruction on the island that has already dealt with so much.
“It’s hard to digest and hard to accept,” said Kula resident Amanda Hardwick. “And I think it’s easier as the days go on.”
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Police instructed Hardwick and her family, including three young children, to evacuate last week, and they did so safely. At the time, her parents were visiting, and her mother-in-law was staying with them.
“And I know, too, that there are so many people that have lost so much more than we did,” she said. “Everything we’ve lost is just material. But my family made it out safe and sound and everyone’s accounted for.
Ultimately, that is what matters most to Hardwick.
‘So, I’m happy to have what I do have, and life is the most important thing,” she adds.
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Authorities are still searching for the missing in Lahaina, located on the west side of Maui. The area has seen a lot of damage, with officials having searched only about a quarter of the affected parts where an estimated 12,000 people once lived.
Identifying the deceased individuals has proven to be an arduous task, with only three out of the 99 people found being identified through fingerprint analysis. Residents on the island have been encouraged to give DNA swabs to help identify loved ones.
“The scale of destruction is incredible,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said. “So our hearts are broken even a little bit more than when we were together 48 hours ago with the extra fatalities.”
Green reported over 2,200 structures in Lahaina were destroyed, with residential properties comprising almost 90% of the total.
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Along with police and search and rescue teams, 254 Army National Guard, Air National Guard and Army personnel are on the ground helping out.
Meanwhile, there still needs to be an official answer to why these fires started. Hawaiian Electric is now responding to criticism and a class-action lawsuit after they didn’t shut off power ahead of the windy and dry conditions.
“We will be doing our own investigation. The state will be doing an investigation. We will cooperate fully in that,” said Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric, which serves 95% of Hawaii’s population on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Lanai and Molokai. “I think we all believe it’s important to understand what happened. And I think we all believe it’s important to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Drinking water in Lahaina and near the Upcountry Fire has been deemed unsafe due to the presence of contaminants.