Hawaii wildfires: Death toll rises to 96; at least 1,000 unaccounted for

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The death toll from last week's wildfires in Hawaii rose to 96 late Sunday local time as recovery teams continued to search the smoldering ruins of Maui for those who remain missing.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green extended his initial emergency proclamation until Aug. 31, and estimated damage to the island so far at about $6 billion, making it the largest natural disaster in state history and the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.

Recovery teams with cadaver dogs continued to search the ashes for human remains Monday after many of the deceased have been found in burned-out vehicles on roadsides as they presumably tried to escape the fast-moving flames.

During a news conference, Green emphasized there was "very little left" of the island paradise, saying the death toll would rise further as at least 1,000 people remain unaccounted for.

"We know the teams are going in an ongoing fashion and discovering more tragedies," he said.

So far, the recovery effort has only covered about 3% of the worst-hit areas, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier.

The largest blaze in Lahaina was about 85% contained Monday, with an estimated 2,170 acres burned and multiple crews monitoring the region for flareups, according to Maui County emergency officials.

More than 2,700 structures have been burned to the ground, leaving more than a thousand residents homeless, while Green said his office was considering a plan to move hundreds of evacuees into hotel rooms.

Another wildfire in the Upcountry area of Pulehu/Kihei was declared 100% contained Saturday, although fire officials were watching for potential flare-ups. A separate blaze in Kula was 60% contained, with an estimated 678 acres burned and crews preparing to drop water on hot spots from the air.

A smaller blaze in Puʻukoliʻi/Kaanapali burned approximately one acre before it was extinguished over the weekend.

Officials have blocked many roads to Lahaina and surrounding areas, and have limited traffic into West Maui, leaving many survivors frustrated as they are unable to immediately return to properties in the burn zone to collect their belongings.

The burned-out historic section of Lahaina remained barricaded over the weekend as toxic smoke filled the air, making it too dangerous for residents to return, even while wearing masks and gloves.

Questions also emerged over the weekend about whether residents were properly warned after officials acknowledged no alerts nor sirens were deployed as the inferno erupted Aug. 8 amid drought conditions, extreme temperatures and winds as strong as 80 mph.

U.S. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell toured the damage in Lahaina on Saturday and said the wildfire had moved "incredibly fast and outpaced anything that firefighters could have done."

Power was restored to about 5,000 customers by Sunday afternoon -- including to homes and a handful of convenience stores and gas stations that remained standing amid the rubble.

Hundreds of electrical workers fanned out across the region in an around-the-clock effort to restore power to homes and businesses that survived the inferno.

At least half a dozen emergency shelters have been set up around the island to house thousands of displaced residents, while emergency officials issued an unsafe water warning to use bottled water for all purposes until further notice.

The latest death toll in Hawaii tops that of the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif., which killed 85 people. Hundreds of people died in a 1918 blaze in Cloquet, Minn.