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The death toll from Hawaii's wildfires, the deadliest natural disaster in the state's history, is rising

2023-08-12 09:56:21Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The death toll from Hawaii's wildfires, the deadliest natural disaster in
The number of victims from the fires in Hawaii is increasing

The death toll from a deadly wildfire in Hawaii has risen to 67, as officials continue to try to determine what caused it.

The fire that engulfed Lahainan on the island of Maui spread at breakneck speed and destroyed the historic resort town.

The death toll is expected to rise as search teams continue to sift through the charred ruins of the city after the fire burned 1,000 buildings and left thousands homeless. Officials say it is the worst natural disaster in the state's history.

"As firefighting efforts continue, 12 more fatalities have been confirmed today amid the active fire in Lahaina. This brings the death toll to 67," Maui County said in a statement.

Governor Josh Green has warned that the number is likely to continue to rise.

"Without a doubt there will be more victims. We don't know what the final number will be," Mr. Green told CNN before the number reached 67.

Three days after the disaster, it remains unclear whether residents received any warning before the fire engulfed their homes. The island has warning sirens to warn of natural disasters and other threats, but they do not appear to have gone off during the fire.

Maui County Fire Chief Bradford Ventura said at a news conference Thursday that the speed of the fire made it "almost impossible" for the rapid response teams that normally have to issue evacuation orders in real time.

He also noted that cell service was interrupted.

Mayor Richard Bissen told NBC's "Today" show Friday that he didn't know if the sirens went off, but said the fire spread extremely quickly.

The disaster began to unfold shortly after midnight Tuesday when a fire was reported in the town of Kula, approximately 56 km from Lahaina. About five hours later that morning, power went out in Lahaina, according to residents.

In updates posted on Facebook that morning, Maui County said the Kula fire had burned hundreds of acres of grassland, but a small 1.2-acre fire that broke out in Lahaina had been contained.

But that afternoon, the situation took a turn for the worse as the Lahaina fire gained momentum. Some residents began to evacuate. In the hours that followed, the county posted a series of evacuation orders on Facebook as the fire spread through the city. Several witnesses said they were not warned in time and described their horror as flames engulfed Lahaina within minutes.

Some people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape. Lahaina's evacuation was complicated by its location between the coast and the hills, meaning there were only two ways out at best, said Andrew Rumbach, a climate and communities specialist at the Urban Institute in Washington.

"This is a nightmare scenario," said Rumbach, a former urban planning professor at the University of Hawaii. A fast-moving fire in a densely populated area with difficult communication, and not many alternatives in terms of evacuations.”

The island has six shelters in operation for displaced people, and officials said they are planning to house them in hotels and tourist facilities.

About 12,400 homes and businesses were without power Friday, according to Maui County./VOA

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