California woman among those killed in devastating Maui fires

Vanessa Arredondo
·2 min read
16
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina along the Pacific Ocean in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. A terrifying wildfire that left a historic Hawaiian town in charred ruins has killed at least 55 people, authorities said on August 10, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the US state's history. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
An aerial image taken on Aug. 10 shows homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)

A 72-year-old California woman is among those who died in the wildfires that scorched swaths of Maui and devastated the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina earlier this month, authorities said.

Theresa “Terri” Cook, who lived in the small community of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County, was staying in Lahaina when the fires broke out Aug. 8, according to her family. She planned to fly back home to the Sacramento area the next day, but went missing amid the chaos after being evacuated from her hotel.

The Maui Police Department on Tuesday identified Cook as one of the fire victims. She is so far the only known victim from California.

"Very outgoing and carefree, she was visiting Lahaina for some solitude and rest," her family wrote on a GoFundMe page.

Read more: After Maui officials named 388 people unaccounted for in fires, many called to say they're OK

As soon as they heard about the fires, her children, Melissa Kornweibel and Adam Cook, desperately searched for information that their mother was alive.

They contacted the Red Cross, Maui police and the Coast Guard, as well as posted in various Facebook groups, where dozens of others have also uploaded photos of missing loved ones, according to the family GoFundMe page.

On Sunday, officials confirmed to Kornweibel that her mother had been found and identified as one of the fire victims.

"With this news comes loss, heartache and responsibilities,” her family wrote.

Cook was an “amazing” grandmother of four who put others' needs before her own, according to her family.

Read more: Mapping how the Maui fires destroyed Lahaina

She is one of at least 115 people who died in the Maui wildfires, authorities said. Officials have so far publicly identified 35 victims and notified their families. Eleven additional victims have been identified, but family members have not yet been reached, authorities said in a release.

Maui County this week released a list of 388 names of people who remain missing.

More than 2,700 people displaced by the fires are sheltering in 11 hotels across Maui, authorities said.

Three ongoing fires in Maui, including the Lahaina blaze that has scorched an estimated 2,170 acres, were between 85% and 90% contained as of Wednesday.

Sign up for Essential California, your daily guide to news, views and life in the Golden State.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.