Jan. 28 (UPI) — The last victim of a series of deadly wildfires that razed the historic community of Lahaina and others on the island of Maui over the summer has been identified by authorities.
Lydia Coloma, 70, of Lahaina was named as the final victim of the blaze that kindled in early August, destroying thousands of homes and causing around $5.5 billion in damage.
With 100 estimated fatalities and her death marking the 100th victim identified, there are no unidentified bodies and so no further victims are expected to be named — a bookend to the horror as the community rebuilds.
In early September, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the search for missing people was nearing completion. Around 115 people were thought to have died in the early estimates after the inferno but the number dropped to 97 after DNA tests helped authorities get a better picture of the toll, Green announced later that month.
At that time, just 74 people had been identified and the fire had just reached 100% containment. It was not immediately clear why or when the estimated toll was adjusted from 97 to 100 people.
Roughly 7,415 people lost their homes in the fires and were housed in hotel rooms in Hawaii while another 1,100 were houses housed in Airbnb locations. Officials at the time were trying to move those affected into long-term rentals.
According to CBS News, thousands of those victims remain in hotels.
