Hawaii wildfires

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First Wildfire IDs Reflect Vulnerability of Older People

Officials name six victims in Hawaii, all over 70

(Newser) - The pattern will shift when more people killed in the Maui wildfires are identified, but the first names released illustrate the statistical reality that older people are at the greatest risk of dying in a fire. The six people identified by Thursday were all older than 70, the Guardian reports....

Maui Official Who Declined to Deploy Emergency Sirens Steps Down

Herman Andaya resigned citing health reasons

(Newser) - Outdoor alert sirens on Maui stayed silent as a ferocious fire devastated the seaside community of Lahaina last week. The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency said he had no regrets about not deploying the system as a warning to people on the island. A day after making that...

Maui Fire 'Was Not Only Predictable, It Was Predicted'

Lawsuits say Hawaiian Electric knew of wildfire risks but failed to act promptly

(Newser) - The deadliest US wildfire in more than a century "was not only predictable, it was predicted" by Hawaiian Electric and "anyone else who bothered to look into the issue," says Mikel Watts, the lead attorney in a lawsuit filed against the company Wednesday. The lawsuit accuses the...

Hawaii Governor: This Is Like 'What We Saw With 9/11'

Most remains are unrecognizable and lack fingerprints

(Newser) - The wildfire death toll stands at 106 in Maui and is expected to climb, and identifying the lost will be no easy task, says Hawaii Gov. Josh Green. He tells CNN that "this is much like you see in a war zone or what we saw with 9/11,"...

After Leading Response to Vegas Massacre, He's Maui's Police Chief

John Pelletier referenced the 2017 tragedy while discussing wildfire victims

(Newser) - The death toll in Maui's devastating wildfires climbed to 106 on Tuesday, Maui County officials told CNN , warning that it could end up significantly higher considering only about a third of the search area has been combed so far. And the police chief dealing with the fallout is no...

It Felt Like a Nightmare. 'Then You Realize You're Burning'

The AP has the story of Lahaina residents whose split-second decisions saved them

(Newser) - In Lahaina, Hawaii, there were no sirens, no one with bullhorns, no one to tell anyone what to do: Residents were on their own to choose whether to stay or to run, and where to run to—through smoke so thick it blinded them, flames closing in from every direction,...

Death Toll Could Climb Steadily, Governor Says

Hot spots are slowing the search for victims

(Newser) - Hawaii's governor said Monday that crews searching through the destruction left by the wildfires could find 10 to 20 bodies daily for as many as 10 days. Searchers are checking burned homes and vehicles for the missing, Gov. Josh Green said. The official death toll stands at 99, he...

Pilot on Vacation Ended Up Flying 300 People Out of Maui

United captain says he's happy he could help

(Newser) - A pilot who was on vacation in Hawaii when wildfires raced through Maui says he ended up in "polo shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes flying the airplane back." United Airlines Capt. Vince Eckelkamp and his family were due to fly out from Kahului Airport on Maui on Tuesday....

Hawaii Firefighters Ran Into the Most Basic Obstacle of All

'There was just no water in the hydrants,' one tells the 'New York Times'

(Newser) - Stories have previously catalogued the series of factors that made the Hawaii wildfires so devastating: dry conditions, high winds from a hurricane, low humidity, invasive species, etc. Now the New York Times adds another, a basic one summed up in the words of a firefighter in Lahaina: "There was...

Lahaina Residents Fear Rebuild Will Shut Them Out

The median price of a Maui house already is $1.2 million

(Newser) - Richy Palalay so closely identifies with his Maui hometown that he had a tattoo artist permanently ink "Lahaina Grown" on his forearms when he was 16. But a chronic housing shortage and an influx of second-home buyers and wealthy transplants have been displacing residents like Palalay who give Lahaina...

It's Now the Deadliest US Fire in a Century

Toll in Hawaii is at 93 and counting

(Newser) - Now that crews are finally able to search inside burnt-out homes in Hawaii , the inevitable has occurred: The death toll has jumped. The figure stood at 93 on Saturday, making it the deadliest US fire since 1910, according to the National Fire Protection Association . And as Hawaii News Now notes,...

Opening, Closing of Highway Angers Maui Residents
Opening, Closing
of Highway Angers
Maui Residents
the rundown
Aug 12, 2023 5:50 PM CDT

Opening, Closing of Highway Angers Maui Residents

Officials say people are breeching barricades and entering dangerous areas

(Newser) - A chaotic scene developed Saturday on Maui as residents trying to return to their homes and businesses in Lahaina after the wildfires grew frustrated by the repeated opening and closing of the main highway to the community. Steven and Giulietta Daiker told CNN that after three hours, they had almost...

Report: Maui Officials Didn't Use Sirens to Alert Lahaina

Communications efforts are now under scrutiny after wildfire that has left at least 80 dead

(Newser) - In the hours before a wildfire engulfed the Hawaiian town of Lahaina, Maui County officials failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population of the approaching flames and instead relied on a series of sometimes confusing social-media posts that reached a much smaller audience. Power and cellular...

Hawaii Governor: The Damage &#39;Will Shock You&#39;
Brace for Hawaii Death Toll
to Rise Quickly
the rundown
Aug 11, 2023 2:23 PM CDT

Brace for Hawaii Death Toll to Rise Quickly

Rescuers have yet to be able to search inside buidlings

(Newser) - The death toll from the Hawaiian wildfires stood at 55 on Friday afternoon, but it's expected to multiply in the near future. The reason? Authorities have not yet been able to search inside the scores of burned-out buildings. "We're waiting for FEMA to help with that search,...

Amid Maui Destruction, the 'Heartbeat of Lahaina' Endures

Historic 150-year-old banyan tree is scorched but still standing—for now

(Newser) - The wildfire that's been tearing across the island of Maui has proven devastating, with people forced to leap into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames and a growing death toll of more than 50 . The city of Lahaina, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was especially...

Survivors in Maui Kept Running Because 'the Fire Didn't Stop'

Death toll climbs and will rise again, governor says

(Newser) - The official death toll in the wildfire that swept through the Hawaiian island of Maui rose to 53 on Thursday, and Gov. Josh Green said it will go higher. "I'll tell you, by the time this disaster is all described, I'm sure there will be dozens of...

Death Toll Hits 36 in Maui Fires
Death Toll Hits 36 in Maui Fires
Aug 10, 2023 6:11 AM CDT

Death Toll Hits 36 in Maui Fires

'All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp. It's like an apocalypse'

(Newser) - At least 36 people have died in wildfires in Hawaii, officials say, making the Maui fires one of the deadliest disasters in the state's history. The office of Maui Mayor Richard Blissen confirmed the death toll Wednesday night and said it is likely to rise, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports....

At Least 6 Dead in Hawaii Fires
At Least 6 Dead in Hawaii Fires
Aug 9, 2023 5:35 PM CDT

At Least 6 Dead in Hawaii Fires

Nonessential travel to Maui restricted

(Newser) - The wildfires raging on Hawaii's second-largest island have killed at least six people and seriously injured several others, officials confirmed Wednesday. Maui Mayor Richard Blissen said at a press conference Wednesday that he didn't know where on the island the six had died. He said the injured people...

Hawaii Wildfires Force People Into the Ocean
Hawaii Wildfires Force
People Into the Ocean
the rundown
Aug 9, 2023 9:20 AM CDT

Hawaii Wildfires Force People Into the Ocean

The scene is described as 'apocalyptic' on the island of Maui

(Newser) - Add Hawaii to the locales battling raging wildfires in the summer of 2023. But in this case, Hawaii's unique geography has led to an unreal consequence: Some people have had to literally jump into the ocean to escape the flames. Coverage:
  • On Maui: The Coast Guard tweeted that it
...

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