Maui fire crews battled blazes still scorching parts of the island Friday and rescue workers searched for about 1,000 people reported missing as questions began to swirl about Hawaii’s emergency warning system.
The death toll from the inferno that erupted Tuesday − fueled by winds from Hurricane Dora and exacerbated by overly dry vegetation from the ongoing drought − was at least 55. But it will probably surpass 60 and make the disaster the deadliest since Hawaii became a state in 1959, Gov. Josh Green said Thursday.
Thousands of people have been displaced, more than 1,700 structures have been destroyed, and the historic town of Lahaina was leveled. Green said the state is initially seeking 2,000 rooms for people and asked local hotels and others to help provide temporary housing for those in need.
“We are still in life-preservation mode. Search and rescue is still a primary concern,” said Adam Weintraub, a spokesperson for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
Widespread power and cellular outages have complicated evacuation efforts, and some residents who escaped the flames questioned why Hawaii’s famous emergency warning systems didn’t alert them as the blazes approached.
“We got warned, but the wind was faster,” Leomana Turalde, a 36-year-old who runs a sunscreen company and has family who lived in Lahaina Town, told USA TODAY. “I found out on social media. But there was no real warning.”
Thomas Leonard, 70, told the Associated Press he didn’t know about the fire until he smelled smoke. The retired mailman from Lahaina tried to flee in his Jeep but abandoned his vehicle when nearby cars started to explode. He took refuge behind a seawall for hours before being rescued by firefighters.
Hawaii’s siren system didn’t sound during fires
Survivors of the fires and officials reported there was no activation of the state’s storied emergency warning system, which would have sounded blaring outdoor sirens.
Hawaii’s system, known as the All-hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System, is used to warn residents about emergencies including earthquakes, tsunamis, brush fires, flooding, lava or terrorist events, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
There are over 400 sirens spread throughout the islands, including 80 in Maui County. The state says it’s the largest outdoor warning system in the country, and the “largest single integrated Outdoor Siren Warning System for Public Safety in the world.”
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Adam Weintraub told The Associated Press records don’t show the system in Maui being activated Tuesday when fire took over. Instead, alerts were sent out through Maui County residents’ phones, televisions and radios. It’s not clear whether that happened before or after the island was hit with widespread power and signal outages.
In 2019, Oahu and Maui residents were sent into a brief panic when the outdoor siren system was mistakenly triggered during a training – after a 2018 incident when the text message alert system falsely told the whole state to take cover for an incoming ballistic missile that didn’t exist.
None of the fires are 100% contained
Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura said none of the fires were “100% contained right now.” Ventura said there are several small fires in between the large fires burning in Lahaina, Pulehu and Upcountry.
Maui County reported the most damaging of the three blazes, the one in Lahaina on the western part of the island, was 80% contained by Thursday morning, and that another one in Pulehu in central Maui was at 70% containment. There was no assessment yet about the fire in the mountainous Upcountry.
Ventura said there is still potential for “rapid fire behavior” with the weather and told people to remain out of the area.
Wildfires were also still burning on the Big Island, but no injuries or destroyed homes had been reported, Mayor Mitch Roth said.
Maui wildfires death toll will likely continue to climb
Maui County reported at least 36 people had died in the Lahaina fire Wednesday evening. By Thursday, the total had reached 55, and it’s expected to continue rising as emergency workers reach parts of the island previously cut off by the fires and other obstructions.
President Joe Biden on Thursday declared a major disaster in Hawaii, making federal aid available to support state and local recovery efforts. Green estimated damage to the area will likely cost billions and take years to repair.
Green said the disaster will likely become the deadliest since Hawaii became a state in 1959. He referenced the 1960 tsunami that hit the Big Island, killing 61 people, and said: “This time it’s very likely that our death totals will significantly exceed that, I’m afraid.”
The Maui fire is also the deadliest in the U.S. in five years. Not since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 and wiped out the town of Paradise, has a U.S. community endured such a tragedy.
Before and after photos show Hawaii wildfires damage
Satellite imagery and photos from the ground revealed the devastating damage wildfires have done to Maui landmarks, including Lahaina’s iconic banyan tree, Front Street and Waiola Church.
Maui fires map
Maui wildfire map: A look at how Hurricane Dora and low humidity are fueling Hawaii fires
How to help Maui fire victims
Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, from the Hawaii State Department of Defense, asked those who want to donate supplies or volunteer to do so through the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. James Kunane Tokioka, director of the department of business, economic development and tourism, said the governor has also asked people with vacant homes or vacation rentals to provide shelter for those in need.
Several shelters are open to assist those on the islands and several local organizations are collecting donations. USA TODAY compiled resources for Americans to help people and animals in Hawaii here.
Contributing: The Associated Press
