LAHAINA: The death toll from the Hawaii wildfires rose to 80 as search teams combed through the smoldering ruins of Lahaina, and Hawaiian officials sought to determine how the inferno spread so rapidly through the historic resort town with little warning.

The fires became 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 US.

Officials have warned that search teams with cadaver dogs could still find more dead from the fire that torched 1,000 buildings and left thousands homeless, likely requiring many years and billions of dollars to rebuild.

“Nobody has entered any of these structures that have burned down and that’s where we unfortunately anticipate that the death toll will rise significantly,” US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii told MSNBC.

With over 1,000 buildings reduced to ash, authorities warn anyone accessing Lahaina will have to prove they lived there before fire

In a late evening statement, Maui County said the death toll had risen to 80. Three days after the disaster, it remained unclear whether some residents had received any warning before the fire engulfed their homes.

The island has emergency sirens intended to warn of natural disasters and other threats, but they did not appear to have sounded during the fire.

“I authorised 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.

Green described multiple, simultaneous challenges, with telecommunications down and firefighters concentrating on other major wildfires when the greatest threat to Lahaina arose.

In any event, he said, “We will do all that we can to find out how to protect our people more going forward.”

Maui County Fire Chief Bradford Ventura earlier told a presser that the fire’s speed had made it “nearly impossible” for frontline responders to communicate with the emergency management officials who would typically provide real-time evacuation orders. “They were basically self-evacuating with fairly little notice,” he said, referring to residents of the neighbourhood where the fire initially struck.

Findings to be made public

On the other hand, Hawaii’s chief legal officer has declared she is opening a probe into the handling of the devastating wildfires and will make the findings public.

Hawaii’s Attorney General Anne Lopez said her office would examine “critical decision-making and standing policies leading up to, during and after the wildfires on Maui and Hawaii islands this week.”

According to Maui County officials, 1,418 people are in emergency evacuation shelters.

Curfew

On the other hand, County authorities have annoucned anyone returning to or accessing Lahaina would have to prove they lived or were staying at a hotel there, and that a curfew would be in place between 10pm and 6am.

“The curfew is intended to protect residences and property,” it said in a statement.

Some of those who made it back to Lahaina wandered in stunned silence trying to take in the enormity of the destruction.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2023