At least 89 people have died in the blazing wildfire that tore through the beautiful city of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui this past week, according to officials, making it the worst U.S. wildfire of the previous century.Â
Property casualties
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stated that over 2,200 buildings suffered structural harm or were destroyed as the fire tore through Lahaina, causing $5.5 billion in damage and displacing thousands of people.
As a congressman from the state admitted that officials had miscalculated the threat and as people claimed there had been no warnings, Hawaiian authorities announced that they were initiating an investigation into the handling of the conflagration.
The once-proud residence of the Hawaiian royal family, with a population of over 12,000, has been destroyed to ruins, with its vibrant hotels and restaurants reduced to ashes.
Despite being scorched by the fire and having lost all of its leaves, a stately banyan tree which stood in the middle of the village for 150 years still stands straight. Its sooty trunk has been converted into an ungainly skeleton.
Wildfire inferno
The most recent estimate was higher than the death toll from the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, which devastated Paradise and claimed 85 lives. The 1918 Cloquet Fire, which erupted in drought-stricken northern Minnesota and swept through many rural villages, destroyed thousands of houses and claimed hundreds of lives a century earlier.
As he visited the destruction on Lahaina’s renowned Front Street with personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that activities will be focused on “the loss of life” on Saturday.
The fire of Lahaina
Of the three significant wildfires that broke out on the island Tuesday, the Lahaina fire was particularly harmful and destructive.
As he surveyed the destruction on historic Front Street on Saturday, Green commented, “It’s going to rise,” in reference to the death toll. “It will undoubtedly rank as Hawaii’s worst-ever natural calamity…All we can do is wait while providing for the living. As soon as possible, we want to reconnect individuals, provide them shelter, and provide them with healthcare before moving on to reconstruction.
According to FEMA, the organization has begun spray-painting “X” symbols on Front Street vehicles and structures to denote that they have received a first examination but that there may still be human remains within. If crew members discover any remains on a subsequent run through, they will append the initials “HR” next to the “X.”
Given that there is only one hospital and three morgues, it is unknown how the island’s morgues will be able to handle the growing number of casualties as the death toll from the flames climbs.
Restriction to enter the impacted area
The sorrow for those who escaped the fires was made worse on Saturday since they were unable to go back to their houses.
Even individuals who could provide proof of residency there would not be permitted entry into Lahaina, according to Maui police.
According to a press release, “If your present or previous home is in the affected area, you will not be permitted to (enter) until the region that was impacted has been declared safe.”
Anyone who enters the disaster region is guilty of a misdemeanor felony, which carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a $2,000 fine.
Some locals spent hours at a checkpoint expecting to be let inside to search among the ashes or hunt for lost pets or loved ones.
