Aug. 29 (UPI) — The search on land for victims of the Maui wildfires has ended, as the search now moves to the ocean.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green made the announcement Tuesday, adding that 99% of Lahaina — which was devastated in the fires on Aug. 8 — has been searched.
“We still have 115 fatalities. So our hearts are broken, but we have small hope that there won’t be more fatalities,” the governor said in an update, as he marked the 21-day milestone since the wind-fueled wildfires erupted on Maui.
As the search moves to the water, officials said Monday they do not expect the death toll to rise much higher than the 115 already declared dead. Of those, 48 victims have been identified. There are currently 388 people still unaccounted for.
“There will be no survivors that we will discover at this point,” Green warned. “We’ll only find people that were not necessarily on that list — that they didn’t need to be on the list of unaccounted for people.”
“We will find possibly the remains of some individuals on the boats that were out there,” the governor added. “There are a couple other sensitive spots that were underwater that had to be investigated. But we’re not anticipating a significant increase.”
“Right now, we have people diving and looking into the water,” Green said. “Most of the fatalities up to the first 80 were individuals who were quickly determined because it was Front Street. We’re grateful that when we delayered the multiple larger buildings, that we didn’t find large numbers of people.”
The Lahaina fire burned approximately 2,170 acres, 2,200 structures and remains 90% contained, according to Maui County officials. The Olinda fire, which burned 1,081 acres, is 85% contained, and the Kula fire is 90% contained after burning an estimated 202 acres.
Last week, Maui County filed a lawsuit, seeking damages from the Hawaiian Electric Company as the county alleged the utility’s “energized and downed power lines ignited dry fuel …causing the fires.”
While Hawaiian Electric acknowledged that the fire “appears to have been caused by power lines that fell in high winds,” it accused the Maui County Fire Department of leaving the scene before the fire was extinguished.
Strong winds and drought conditions on the island fueled the fire which spread quickly toward the historic town of Lahaina.
According to the governor’s update Tuesday, there are still 538 Federal Emergency Management Administration personnel on the ground with more than 6,000 residents in temporary housing in hotels and at Airbnb units.
“I’ve met up with a lot of people who have lost everything, and they’re worried what happens after 30 days. We will take care of you,” Green promised, as he credited “milestones” to “help get people back to their lives.”
“The seven day mark was significant — that’s when the road opened. The 14-day mark was quite significant because that was the day that everyone got out of the shelters,” Green said.
“The 20-day mark is very significant, because as you’re hearing, the search and rescue, at least on land, is done.”
08/29/23 – Current Situation
Please sign up for assistance by contacting:
American Red Cross: 1-800-RED-CROSS, (1-800-733-2767)
Maui United Way: 808-244-8787
FEMA: 1-800-621-3362 pic.twitter.com/12hDtym6f4— Governor Josh Green (@GovJoshGreenMD) August 29, 2023
