Death toll from Hawaii fires rises to 67

The death toll on the Hawaiian island of Maui stands at 67, after authorities confirmed another 12 deaths as a result of a massive fire that turned wide swaths of a century-old city into a hellish landscape of ashen rubble.

Maui County said in a statement posted online that firefighters are continuing to battle the fire, which is still not under control.. Meanwhile, Lahaina residents were allowed to return to their homes for the first time to assess the damage.

Associated Press journalists witnessed the devastation, in which nearly all buildings were reduced to rubble on Front Street, the heart of Maui's community and the island's economic center.. The roosters, known for roaming the streets of Hawaii, meandered through the ashes of what was left, including a chilling traffic jam of the charred remains of dozens of cars that failed to make it out of hell.

Burning cars crushed by fallen telephone poles. Charred elevator shafts standing as testimonials to the burnt-out apartment buildings they once served. Pools filled with charcoal colored water. Children's trampolines and scooters disfigured by extreme heat.

“It hit so fast, it was unbelievable,” Lahaina resident Kyle Scharnhorst said as he surveyed the damage at his apartment complex Friday morning.. “It was like a war zone.”

The wildfires are the deadliest natural disaster to hit the state in decades, surpassing a tsunami that killed 61 people in 1960.. An even deadlier tsunami, which left more than 150 dead on the island of Hawaii – the so-called Big Island – in 1946, prompted the development of a land-wide emergency system that includes sirens that are sounded every month to check that work correctly.

But many fire survivors said in interviews that they didn't hear any sirens or receive any warning to give them enough time to prepare, only realizing they were in danger when they saw flames or heard explosions nearby.

“There was no warning. there was absolutely none. Nobody came. Instead, officials sent alerts to mobile phones, television and radio stations, but widespread power outages and cellular network outages may have limited their reach.

Governor Josh Green warned that the death toll will likely rise as search and rescue operations continue.. He also said Lahaina residents would be allowed to return Friday to check out their property, and that people will be able to go outside to get water and access other services.. Authorities established a 10 p.m. curfew. until 6 am. of Saturday.

“The recovery is going to be extraordinarily difficult, but we want people to go back to their homes and do what they can to test them safely, because it's pretty dangerous,” Green told Hawaii News Now.

Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, at least three wildfires raged on Maui this week, advancing rapidly through the parched brush that blankets the island.

The most serious one entered Lahaina on Tuesday, leaving a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green hillsides.. Skeleton remains of buildings leaned under roofs that collapsed in the flames. Palm trees were scorched, boats in the harbor caught fire, and the stench of burning lingered.

This wildfire is forecast to be the second costliest disaster in Hawaiian history, behind only the damage caused by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, according to estimates by Karen Clark & Company, a leading forecasting firm.

This is the deadliest wildfire in the United States since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and ripped through the town of Paradise.

Lahaina's wildfire risk was well known. Maui County's hazard mitigation plan, last updated in 2020, identified that Lahaina and other West Maui communities experienced frequent wildfires and had a large number of buildings at risk of wildfire damage.

The report also noted that West Maui had the second-highest rate of households without a vehicle and the highest rate of non-English speakers on the island.

“This could limit the population's ability to receive, understand, and take expeditious action during hazardous events,” the plan noted.

Maui's firefighting efforts may also have been hampered by understaffing, said Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association.. There are a maximum of 65 firefighters working at any given time in Maui County, and they are responsible for fighting fires on three islands: Maui, Molokai and Lanai, he explained.

Those crews have about 13 fire trucks and two ladder trucks, but the department doesn't have ATVs, he added.. That means fire crews can't fight wildfires thoroughly before they reach roads or populated areas.