Maui fire death toll rises

Around 2,200 buildings in the district were damaged or destroyed by the fire, according to updated figures from the Pacific Disaster Center and FEMA.

Initial estimates assume around 5.5 billion dollars (5 billion euros) for the reconstruction there. Evacuations were ordered again on Friday in the coastal village of Kaanapali, north of the particularly affected small town of Lahaini in the western part of the island. Winds had reignited the fires there. A fire near a gas station in Kaanapali was brought under 100 percent control by the evening, it said. Hundreds of vehicles would have waited there to be refueled. No fuel will be given out there on Saturday.

In addition to the fire in the west, fires broke out in other regions of Maui and on the neighboring island of Hawaii at the beginning of the week, which had spread quickly due to strong winds with speeds of up to 130 km/h. Footage of historic downtown Lahaina showed the destruction left by the fires. In entire streets, hardly more than the foundations of houses remained. The emergency services cordoned off the affected quarters. According to the district, emergency shelters were set up for the evacuees in schools, churches and gymnasiums, and food and other necessities were distributed to the needy.

By Friday the winds had gradually died down. The first residents of the small town were initially able to return to their homes to inspect the damage. Previously, Hawaii’s governor Josh Green had warned residents that they would find destruction “like they have never seen in their lives”.

A few hours after the road was released, the police closed the highway access to Lahaina again, according to the “Honolulu Star Advertiser”. According to the newspaper, the reason was disputes between residents and the police over access to areas that were still closed. People had tried to get to relatives in these zones, some on foot, as the district administration explained. This would put them in danger and also delay the rescue work, since the emergency services would have to interrupt the search for victims and instead send unauthorized persons away.

Meanwhile, the extinguishing and clean-up work continued in several places. The authorities expected more deaths, especially since the rescue workers were only able to gradually penetrate the interior of the destroyed building. So far, mainly victims who had fled their homes at the time of their death have been identified, said Governor Green. Green said he had ordered an investigation into the authorities’ initially sluggish response, according to CNN. Among other things, there had been criticism because no warning sirens had been used on Maui at the beginning.

Evacuation ordered too late?

In Lahaina, it was said that an evacuation may have been ordered too late – according to the “New York Times” on Facebook, there were reports from the authorities on Thursday that the fires were under control. Fire chief Bradford Ventura later said at a press conference that the fires had spread surprisingly quickly and that it had previously been “almost impossible” to order evacuations quickly enough.

Power was restored to most of the island’s residents on Friday. According to the government, additional cell phone capacities have been made available in West Maui. Citizens were encouraged to text rather than call so as many people as possible could use the limited resources.