Wildfires Devastate Parts of Maui in Hawaii
Follow live updates about wildfires that have devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii this week, destroying a historic town and forcing evacuations.
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which passed south of the island chain, was partly to blame for strong winds that initially drove the flames, knocking out power and grounding firefighting helicopters.
The death toll from wildfires burning in Maui jumped to 67, Maui County officials said Friday. Officials have said the number is expected to increase as crews search the wreckage that wiped out the popular tourist town of Lahaina. The Lahaina fire is not yet contained.
This week’s wildfires are expected to be the second costliest disaster in the history of Hawaii, second only to damages from 1992’s Hurricane Iniki, according to a Friday statement from a prominent disaster and risk modeling company. Karen Clark & Company said in the statement that approximately 3,500 structures were within the perimeter of the fire that torched the popular tourist town of Lahaina in west Maui. Officials said Thursday that fast-moving flames destroyed 1,000 buildings and killed 55 people, although both numbers are expected to increase.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said Friday he couldn’t comment on a report by The Associated Press that the state’s emergency management records showed no indication that warning sirens sounded off before people were forced to flee. “I think this was an impossible situation,” Bissen told NBC’s Today show. “The fires came up so quickly and they spread so fast.”
Meanwhile, the county said residents with identification and visitors with proof of hotel reservations could return to parts of Lahaina starting at noon Friday. They will not be allowed into a restricted area of the historic part of Lahaina. The county said in a statement that a curfew, intended to protect residences and property, will be in place starting tonight from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Lahaina residents will be allowed to return Friday to check on their property and that people who hunkered down in their homes will be able to get out to get water and access other services. An official announcement will come later Friday from the Maui County mayor’s office, Green told Hawaii News Now. “The recovery’s going to be extraordinarily complicated, he said, “but we do want people to get back to their homes and just do what they can to assess safely because it’s pretty dangerous.”
Donations Needed for Injured Animals
The Maui Humane Society says it is seeking donations to help care for hundreds of dogs, cats and other animals that have been injured or separated from their human families because of the wildfires in Maui. The shelter says many animals need critical care due to smoke inhalation. The group said it expects an inundation of lost pets. It is seeking emergency foster homes, pet food and litter, and cash donations to provide medical care for wounded animals and to keep pets in their homes. As of Friday morning, the organization had raised more than half of its goal of $300,000 via Facebook.
Evacuations and Travel Advisories
Authorities in Hawaii are working to evacuate people from Maui as firefighters work to contain wildfires and put out flare-ups. The County of Maui said early Friday that 14,900 visitors left Maui by air Thursday. Airlines added additional flights to accommodate visitors leaving the island. The county advised visitors that they can book flights to Honolulu and continue on another flight to their destination. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency called on residents and visitors to suspend unnecessary travel to the island to make space for first responders and volunteers heading there to help residents. Visitors on nonessential travel were being asked to leave the island, according to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.
Maui officials have opened a Family Assistance Center at the Kahului Community Center for people seeking those unaccounted for. The Maui Emergency Management Agency will pass out forms and help locate the missing.
Philanthropy experts recommend that people seeking to donate to Maui’s wildfire victims wait to do so as the full scope of need may not be known for up to a week as firefighters finish up their response. Regine Webster, vice president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, urged potential donors to support organizations with deep local ties and community knowledge. People can also donate through the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, which vets fundraisers for those who have lost property or were injured and conducts