Wildfires ravaged through Lahaina, Hawaii leaving over one hundred dead and hundreds missing. The wildfires burned 2,170 acres and destroyed 2,700 structures. Leaving thousands of residents displaced after their homes were burned to the ground.
A fire was first reported at 6:37 a.m. which was started by a downed powerline. The fire was then claimed to be contained by local firefighters at 9:55 a.m. but high winds continued to bring down power lines and spread fires. Eventually, the fires had spread all over the city and residents rushed to escape.
The fires spread so quickly that many residents passed away while stuck in traffic attempting to escape. Downed power lines closed off many roads limiting the escape routes residents could take. Kekoa Lansford, a rescuer who assisted in the search for survivors, recalls what she saw when she returned to Lahaina to search for survivors: “I could see that people were on fire, that the fire was just being stoked by the wind, and being pushed toward the homes.”
The high winds had 3,000 public school students at home while the fires spread. This means that many were left at home while their parents were at work leaving them trapped in the fire. The fires spread so rapidly that there was no time for many parents to return and rescue their children. “We needed like 10 more minutes, and we could have saved a lot of kids,” expresses Nate Baird, a Lahaina resident.
“Nobody realized how little time we really had,” Baird shares. “Like even us being from the heart of the fire, we did not comprehend. Like we literally had minutes and one wrong turn. We would all be dead right now.”
Three hundred and eighty eight individuals are still missing and Maui officials have published an official list of all missing persons. Many of the missing individuals are believed to be children. As the search continues for missing individuals, Gov. Josh Green reveals that many may never be found, “The fire was so hot that what we find is the tragic finding that you would imagine.” He adds, “it’s hard to recognize anybody.” Authorities are currently asking family members to submit DNA samples of missing individuals so they can be identified.
The final death toll of this disaster may not be known for months as rescuers continue to identify the victims of this disaster. This wildfire was the deadliest wildfire to hit the country in over a century and the residents of Lahaina are left to decide whether to rebuild their homes or sell their land to developers looking to benefit from this disaster.
