Hawaii: Death toll from Maui wildfires reaches 80

(Patria) - The death toll from wildfires on Maui has risen to 80 as search teams
combed through the smoldering ruins of Lahaina, Reuters reported.

The fires have become the deadliest natural disaster in the state’s history, surpassing that of a tsunami that killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1960, a year after Hawaii joined the United States.

Officials warned that search teams with dogs might still find more dead in the blaze that incinerated 1,000 buildings and left thousands homeless, and that rebuilding will likely take many years and billions of dollars.

“Nobody has gone into any of these structures that have burned down and there, unfortunately, we expect the death toll to rise significantly,” U.S. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii told MSNBC. The Lahaina fire, which spread from brush into the town, is still burning but is 85 percent contained.

Three days after the disaster, it remained unclear if any residents received any warning before the fire consumed their homes. The island has emergency sirens intended to warn of natural disasters and other threats, but they apparently did not sound during the fires.

“I have authorized a comprehensive review this morning to make sure that we know exactly what happened and when,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CNN, referring to the warning sirens. Officials have not offered a detailed picture of what notifications, if any, were sent and whether they were sent via text message, email or phone calls.

The disaster began to unfold on Tuesday just after midnight when a fire was reported in the town of Kula, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Lahaina. About five hours later that morning, Lahaina lost electricity, according to residents.

In updates posted on Facebook that morning, the County of Maui said the Kula fire had consumed hundreds of acres of grassland but that a small, 3-acre fire that started in Lahaina was contained. By that afternoon, the situation had become more dire. At about 3:30 p.m., according to the county, the Lahaina fire suddenly flared up. Some residents began evacuating, while people, including hotel guests, on the west side of town were instructed to shelter in place.

In the following hours, the state posted a series of evacuation orders on Facebook as the fire spread through the town. Witnesses said they had little time as the fire consumed Lahaina in minutes. Several people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape.