Survivors witnessed a surreal landscape of flattened homes, blackened hulks of burned-out cars and ashy lots where buildings once stood as they took stock of their shattered lives in the aftermath of a fast-paced wildfire on the Hawaii island of Maui that authorities say killed at least 80 people.
Anthony Garcia assessed the devastation as he stood under iconic banyan tree, now charred, and swept twisted branches into neat piles next to another heap filled with dead animals: cats, roosters and other birds killed by the smoke and flames. Somehow it made sense in a world turned upside-down.
鈥淚f I don鈥檛 do something, I鈥檒l go nuts,鈥� said Garcia, who lost everything he owned. 鈥淚鈥檓 losing my faith in God.鈥�
Garcia and other residents were faced with catastrophic destruction resulting from the wildfires that tore through parts of Maui this week and were still not fully contained Friday night.
Maui County raised the number of confirmed deaths to 80 in a 9 p.m. statement Friday (Aug. 11). Gov. Josh Green had warned the death toll would likely rise as search and rescue operations continue. Authorities set a curfew from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday.
鈥淭he recovery鈥檚 going to be extraordinarily complicated, but we do want people to get back to their homes and just do what they can to assess safely, because it鈥檚 pretty dangerous,鈥� Green told Hawaii News Now.
Cadaver-sniffing dogs were deployed to search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said.
A new wildfire Friday evening triggered the evacuation of Kaanapali in West Maui, a community northeast of the area that burned earlier, but crews were able to extinguish the fire before 8:30 p.m., authorities said.
Attorney General Anne Lopez announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of decision-making and standing policies impacting the response to the deadly wildfires.
鈥淢y Department is committed to understanding the decisions that were made before and during the wildfires and to sharing with the public the results of this review,鈥� Lopez said in a statement.
The wildfires are the state鈥檚 deadliest natural disaster in decades, surpassing a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. An even deadlier tsunami in 1946, which killed more than 150 on the Big Island, prompted development of a territory-wide emergency system with sirens that are tested monthly.
Many fire survivors said they didn鈥檛 hear any sirens or receive a warning giving them enough time to prepare, realizing they were in danger only when they .
鈥淭here was no warning,鈥� said Lynn Robinson, who lost her home.
Hawaii emergency management records do not indicate warning sirens sounded before people had to run for their lives. Officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.
Fueled by a and strong winds from a , at least three wildfires erupted on Maui, racing through parched brush covering the island.
The most serious blaze swept into Lahaina on Tuesday and left a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes. Associated Press journalists found the devastation included nearly every building on Front Street, the heart of historic Lahaina and the economic hub of Maui.
There was an eerie traffic jam of charred cars that didn鈥檛 escape the inferno as surviving roosters meandered through the ashes. Skeletal remains of buildings bowed under roofs that pancaked in the blaze. Palm trees were torched, boats in the harbor were scorched and the stench of burning lingered.
鈥淚t hit so quick, it was incredible,鈥� Kyle Scharnhorst said as he surveyed his damaged apartment complex.
Summer and Gilles Gerling sought to salvage keepsakes from the ashes of their home. All they could find was the piggy bank Summer Gerling鈥檚 father gave her as a child, their daughter鈥檚 jade bracelet and watches they gifted each other for their wedding. Their wedding rings were gone.
They described their fear as the strong wind whipped the smoke and flames closer, but said they were happy to have made it out alive with their two children.
鈥淪afety was the main concern. These are all material things,鈥� Gilles Gerling said.
The wildfire is already projected to be the second-costliest disaster in Hawaii history, behind only Hurricane Iniki in 1992, according to disaster and risk modeling firm Karen Clark & Company. The fire is the deadliest in the U.S. since the in California, which killed at least 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.
The danger on Maui was well known. Maui County鈥檚 hazard mitigation plan updated in 2020 identified Lahaina and other West Maui communities as having frequent wildfires and several buildings at risk. The report also noted West Maui had the island鈥檚 second-highest rate of households without a vehicle and the highest rate of non-English speakers.
鈥淭his may limit the population鈥檚 ability to receive, understand and take expedient action during hazard events,鈥� the plan stated.
Maui鈥檚 firefighting efforts may have been hampered by limited staff and equipment.
Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, said there are a maximum of 65 county firefighters working at any given time with responsibility for three islands: Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
The department has about 13 fire engines and two ladder trucks, but no off-road vehicles to thoroughly attack brush fires before they reach roads or populated areas, he said.
Maui water officials warned Kula and Lahaina residents not to drink running water, which may be contaminated even after boiling, and to only take short, lukewarm showers in well-ventilated rooms to avoid possible chemical vapor exposure.
Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor whose team assisted with the Camp Fire and Colorado鈥檚 2021 Marshall Fire, said showering in water potentially containing hazardous waste levels of benzene is not advisable and a do-not-use order would be appropriate until analysis is complete.
Lahaina resident Lana Vierra, who filled out FEMA assistance forms Friday at a relative鈥檚 house, fled Tuesday and was eager to return, despite knowing the home where she raised five children and treasured items like baby pictures and yearbooks were gone.
鈥淭o actually stand there on your burnt grounds and get your wheels turning on how to move forward 鈥� I think it will give families that peace,鈥� she said.
Riley Curran said he fled his Front Street home after climbing up a neighboring building to get a better look. He doubts county officials could have done more due to the speed of the onrushing flames.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that people didn鈥檛 try to do anything,鈥� Curran said. 鈥淭he fire went from 0 to 100.鈥�
Curran had seen horrendous wildfires growing up in California, but 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen one eat an entire town in four hours.鈥�
Claire Rush, Ty O鈥檔eil And Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, The Associated Press
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