Maui fires updates: Death toll rises to 93 as Hawaii governor says ‘very little left’ in Lahaina

Tara Cobham,Ariana Baio and Maroosha Muzaffar
·30 min read

The death toll in Maui, Hawaii, has reached 93 as the devastating wildfires become the deadliest in US modern history.

After visiting the “ground zero” of the destruction in Lahania, Hawaii governor Josh Green said it is clear “there is very little left there”.

The blazes on the island are now the country’s worst in terms of casualties for over a century, while authorities have warned that the effort to find and identify the dead is still in its early stages, as crews with cadaver dogs have covered just three per cent of the search area.

“It will certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced,” Gov Green said earlier. The newly released death toll passed that of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California, which left 85 dead and destroyed the town of Paradise.

Many fire survivors said they did not hear any sirens or receive a warning, only realising they were in danger when they saw flames or heard explosions. Officials sent alerts but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.

Key points

As ‘grim’ search for victims continues, Hawaii fires become deadliest in modern US history

12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Hawaii Governor Josh Green gave a stark warning to the world in the aftermath of the “fire hurricane” that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

The state’s drought conditions from climate change and difficulties with water management had combined with 60mph winds from Hurricane Dora which had just passed the island, Mr Green explained in an interview on MSNBC on Sunday.

This allowed three of four fires to seed quickly in the wind and then move at a mile-per-minute through the community obliterating everything in its path.

“That’s what a fire hurricane is going to look [like] in the era of global warming,” he warned, emphasising the need for action on climate change.

The death toll stands at 93 confirmed fatalities and is expected to rise further in what the governor described as a “war zone” and the “worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced”. It is already the deadliest wildfire in modern US history.

Read on...

Hawaii fires deadliest in over 100 years as ‘grim’ search for victims continues

WATCH: Mick Fleetwood says he’s ‘really lucky’ he only lost restaurant in Hawaii wildfire

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

How to help victims of Hawaii wildfires

12:15 , Rachel Sharp

Thousands of Hawaii citizens have been displaced following wildfires that devastated the historic town of Lahaina in Maui.

Multiple neighbourhoods were burned as the fires were fueled by heavy winds blowing from Hurricane Dora, resulting in many being told to evacuate, with some Hawaii residents taking refuge in the ocean to avoid the flames. Many have lost their lives and thousands have been evacuated as a result of the wildfires.

Hawaii’s governor Josh Green has estimated that billions of dollars will be needed to fully recover, as the US Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department reported that approximately 271 structures were damaged or destroyed by the fires.

Read more here:

How to help victims of Hawaii wildfires

WATCH: Moment Hawaiian TV reporter reveals he's lost four family members in Lahaina wildfires

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

Voices: Maui is my home – after the wildfires, I no longer recognise the place I love

11:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Rich Hill writes:

I’m an English ex-pat, naturalised both to the US and to the islands of Hawaii after 17 years. Maui is my home. As a resident of Maui, married into a family born and raised on the island, the loss of Lahaina’s Old Town is devastating.

First and foremost is the loss of life. Maui is a small island; everyone knows everyone, or at least knows someone who knows everyone.

We are yet to find out who has been lost, but that will filter through in the next few days on the “coconut wireless” (the Hawaii version of the grapevine). These losses will be felt locally for at least a generation, and we are praying that no one we know personally is involved.

Read on...

Maui is my home – the wildfires have destroyed the place I love | Rich Hill

Watch: Lahaina residents inspect remains of homes after devastating Maui wildfire

11:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Heartbreaking moment Hawaiian broadcaster reveals on air he lost four family members to Maui wildfires

11:00 , Rachel Sharp

A heartbreaking moment unfolded live on air when a Hawaiian broadcaster revealed that he has lost four family members to the devastating Maui wildfires – with at least one other relative still unaccounted for.

Jonathan Masaki Shiroma is a Maui native who now works as a broadcaster for Hawaiian News Now.

He told Live Now Fox that it was a “gut punch” to learn that his loved ones were among the 96 so far killed as they tried to flee the deadly blazes that have ravaged the Hawaiian island over the last week.

“It’s like a gut punch, you hear the words of devastation and then you realise that the home town as a child [where you were] playing in the cane fields and near what was the Pioneer Mill and then hearing that family members lost their lives as they tried to leave the field plains that just engulfed so quickly, and then one still remains missing,” he said.

“It just becomes so personal.”

Read more here:

Hawaiian broadcaster reveals on air he lost four family members to Maui wildfires

Families and faith leaders cling to hope but tackle reality of loss, as Maui rescue continues

11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

For scores of families in Hawaii still hoping to reunite with loved ones, it was not yet time to give up — even as the staggering death toll continued to grow, and even as authorities predicted that more remains would be found within the ashes left behind by a wildfire that gutted the once-bustling town of Lahaina.

But many others are already confronting a painful reality. Their loved ones did not make it out alive.

Read more...

As Maui rescue continues, families and faith leaders cling to hope but tackle reality of loss

10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Hawaii newlyweds detail ‘heartbreaking’ escape from Maui wildfires

WATCH: Dwayne Johnson reveals ‘heartbreak’ of devastating Hawaii wildfires

10:30 , Rachel Sharp

ICYMI: Hawaii governor Josh Green assesses severe damage in Lahaina: ‘There is very little left there’

10:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Hawaii governor Josh Green recently made two visits to the heart of devastation in Lahaina, and said that “there is very little left there”.

Over 2,700 structures have been obliterated in this once-thriving tourist destination on Maui’s western edge, causing an estimated $5.6bn in damages.

In a video update released on Sunday, Mr Green expressed gratitude for the backing of president Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the upcoming recovery phase.

The focus now, he said is on finding “those who have perished”. The death toll, currently 93, is expected to rise, he said.

Death toll climbs to 96 victims

09:57 , Rachel Sharp

The death toll from the Hawaiian wildfires has now risen to 96, after another three victims were found among the ruins on Monday.

Maui Police Department confirmed the update at around 9pm local time.

It is already the deadliest wildfire in US modern history and the death toll is expected to climb further as hundreds remain missing and the search has been challenging.

Crews with cadaver dogs had managed to cover just three per cent of the search area as of Saturday.

Oprah Winfrey’s camera crew was turned away from emergency shelter

09:45 , Rachel Sharp

Oprah Winfrey’s camera crew was turned away from an emergency shelter in Maui over the weekend as the TV star dropped by to hand out supplies to survivors.

The TV host, who has a home on the island, visited residents at War Memorial Complex in Maui on Sunday accompanied by a camera crew.

Maui County officials said in a Facebook post that she was able to enter the shelter and hand out items without the cameras in tow.

“Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside,” said the County of Maui.

“We welcome Oprah to continue to uplift our community’s spirit and give her aloha to victims of the tragic disaster.

“Her visit inside of the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters.”

Oprah paid the shelter a visit earlier in the week – a visit which was captured on camera that time.

“It’s a little overwhelming, you know,” she told the BBC during that visit.

“But I’m really so pleased to have so many people, you know, supporting, and people are just bringing what they can and doing what they can.”

Here’s video of that first visit below:

Residents claim people being ‘robbed at gunpoint’ in Maui amid ‘lack of leadership’

09:30 , Rachel Sharp

Local residents in Hawaii’s Maui are claiming they are being looted and robbed at gunpoint after catastrophic fires ravaged parts of the island.

The wildfires in Maui have become the deadliest in modern US history and have so far led to the deaths of 93 people, apart from widespread devastation of property.

And now locals have said they are growing increasingly desperate for effective local leadership to step up and take control of the emergency response amid accusations of an increase in crime.

Read the full story:

Residents claim people being ‘robbed at gunpoint’ in Maui amid ‘lack of leadership’

Survivor recalls unprecedented blaze consuming ‘every house, every tree, every single thing’

09:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

A survivor recounted to the Red Cross that initially, they believed that only a small number of buildings were engulfed in flames when the fire initially broke out.

However, as time passed and they observed the situation more closely, they realised the true magnitude of the blaze, and it became apparent that a much larger area was affected by the fire.

“Every single piece of lawn, every house, every tree, every single thing, all the way to the ocean and all the way down was on fire,” he said, according to the Red Cross.

08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Lahaina residents inspect remains of homes after devastating Maui wildfire

Power restored to 60 per cent of customers, utility says

08:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The Hawaiian Electric utility company announced on Sunday afternoon local time that over 60 per cent of its customers who experienced a power outage since Tuesday on Maui Island have now had their electricity restored.

Hawaiian Electric’s restoration teams are actively engaged in efforts to reinstate power for the remaining 5,000 customers who are currently experiencing an electricity outage in the Upcountry and West Maui regions of the island, the statement said.

However, the company said that the figure had not been adjusted to account for structures that were damaged or destroyed in the wildfires.

The utility warned that there could still be some outages now and then and asked customers to “be mindful of their use of electricity and conserve by limiting non-essential uses”.

The Hawaii utility is being criticised for not implementing power cuts as a measure to minimize fire risks despite having received warnings.

Lahaina residents inspect remains of homes after devastating Maui wildfire

07:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Survivors witnessed a surreal landscape of flattened homes, blackened hulks of burned-out cars and ashy lots where buildings once stood as they took stock of their shattered lives in the aftermath of a fast-paced wildfire on the Hawaii island of Maui that authorities say killed at least 80 people.

Residents were faced with catastrophic destruction resulting from the wildfires that tore through parts of Maui and the town of Lahaina this week.

“We lost everything, thank god we still have each other. We were all alive and safe and counted for. It’s like we are the only things we have now because everything we had in the past is gone,” one resident, Christie Gagala, said.

Lahaina residents inspect remains of homes after devastating Maui wildfire

How the ‘coconut wireless’ failed in the midst of disaster

07:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Rapidly moving wildfires knocked out phone service on Maui, preventing the usual local “coconut wireless” network of neighbours informing each other of the latest news from warning residents on the island they were in danger, according to Hawai’i Governor Josh Green.

“Normally, we would phone cal one another, and through what’s often called the ‘coconut wireless,’ where everyone speaks to everyone else in their community, we would know right away that there was danger,” he told CNN on Friday. “That communication was cut off by the destruction of essentially 1000 degree heat that was coming down the mountain.”

Josh Marcus reports from San Francisco.

Maui fires knocked out phones, stopping alerts from local ‘coconut wireless’ network

Map of Maui wildfires: Where are the Hawaii fires?

06:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Thousands of residents in Hawaii have been racing to escape their homes as deadly wildfires swept across the island of Maui, killing at least 93 people in what is now the deadliest US wildfire incident for more than 100 years.

US senator Brian Schatz said the historic town of Lahaina, which dates back to the 1700s, is almost totally burnt to the ground, with the blaze leaving behind smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings stood.

Maui County officials said that tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the island by air, with dozens of injured in addition to those killed.

Maui wildfires map: Where are the Hawaii fires?

Jason Momoa issues stern warning to holidaymakers travelling to Maui amid deadly wildfires

06:24 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Jason Momoa has issued a stern message to holidaymakers hoping to still travel to Maui amid the fatal wildfires.

Two days after sharing his “heartbreak” about the wildfires that have devastated the Hawaiian island, Momoa shared a post stating: “Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now. DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI.”

He continued: “Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply.

“Mahalo to everyone who has donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need.”

Jason Momoa issues stern warning to people still travelling to Maui on holiday

Conspiracy theorists are claiming a 'space laser beam' started the Hawaii wildfires

06:17 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Conspiracy theorists have managed to go viral after spreading false claims that the devastating wildfires that have torn through the island of Maui in Hawaii were started by a ‘space laser.’

93 people have died as a result of the fires making it the deadliest in modern US history and destroying most of the beautiful island’s natural habitat.

Yet, whenever the climate is related to a tragic story it doesn’t take long for conspiracy theorists to try and spin the narrative to make others think what they are seeing isn’t really about the state of the planet.

Conspiracy theorists are claiming a 'space laser' started the Hawaii wildfires

Maui fires become deadliest in modern US history as ‘grim’ search for victims continues

06:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Hawaii Governor Josh Green gave a stark warning to the world in the aftermath of the “fire hurricane” that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

The state’s drought conditions from climate change and difficulties with water management had combined with 60mph winds from Hurricane Dora which had just passed the island, Mr Green explained in an interview on MSNBC on Sunday.

This allowed three of four fires to seed quickly in the wind and then move at a mile-per-minute through the community obliterating everything in its path.

“That’s what a fire hurricane is going to look [like] in the era of global warming,” he warned, emphasising the need for action on climate change.

Read the full story here:

Hawaii fires deadliest in over 100 years as ‘grim’ search for victims continues

String of minor earthquakes shake Hawaii island

06:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Two minor earthquakes shook Hawaii Island near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Sunday.

According to the US Geological Survey, two magnitude 2.6 earthquake occurred at 12.47pm.It was centered 5.3 miles west-northwest of Volcano town at a one mile depth, Hawaii News Now reported.

A second earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred at 1.36 pm 5 miles south-southest of Volcano within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.USGS seismologists said the stronger quake was also much deeper, with its epicentre 15.5 miles down.

Earlier USGS data indicated three quakes. However, the second and third quakes were recorded five seconds apart, and are now regarded as the same earthquake, it was reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says there is no danger of a tsunami.

More bodies likely to be found in ‘worst natural disaster Hawaii ever faced’

05:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Expressing shock over the scale of devastation, Governor Josh Green said: “We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them healthcare, and then turn to rebuilding.”

The authorities suspect that the total number of fatalities, in what is already the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century, is likely to rise further in the coming days.

Maui wildfires ‘the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced’

Hawaii governor Josh Green assesses severe damage in Lahaina: ‘There is very little left there’

05:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Hawaii governor Josh Green recently made two visits to the heart of devastation in Lahaina, and said that “there is very little left there”.

Over 2,700 structures have been obliterated in this once-thriving tourist destination on Maui’s western edge, causing an estimated $5.6bn in damages.

In a video update released on Sunday, Mr Green expressed gratitude for the backing of president Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the upcoming recovery phase.

The focus now, he said is on finding “those who have perished”. The death toll, currently 93, is expected to rise, he said.

Could a rebuilt Maui town could slip into the hands of affluent outsiders? Residents are already worried

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A fast-moving wildfire that incinerated much of the compact coastal settlement last week has multiplied concerns that any homes rebuilt there will be targeted at affluent outsiders seeking a tropical haven. That would turbo-charge what is already one of Hawaii’s gravest and biggest challenges: the exodus and displacement of Native Hawaiian and local-born residents who can no longer afford to live in their homeland.

Read on...

Lahaina residents worry a rebuilt Maui town could slip into the hands of affluent outsiders

Nighttime looting plague Maui fire survivors

04:37 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The people of Maui are now grappling with nighttime looting as residents are growing anxious with the local leadership’s response.

“There’s some police presence. There’s some small military presence, but at night people are being robbed at gunpoint,” Matt Robb, co-owner of a Lahaina bar called The Dirty Monkey, said.

“I mean, they’re going through houses – and then by day it’s hunky dory. So where is the support? I don’t think our government and our leaders, at this point, know how to handle this or what to do.”

“It’s just been really interesting to see how, when you have a full truck of a pallet of water or feminine products or whatever, and you’re trying to help people – that you’re being turned away,” Mr Robb said. “And I think there’s a better way to organise that to be done, I just don’t think it’s been done the correct way. I think it comes down to the lack of leadership and the lack of knowledge of how to handle this.” he was quoted as saying by Business Insider.

The struggle to reunite survivors continues

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The firestorm that killed dozens of people and leveled this historic town launched hundreds of people on a desperate search for their loved ones — many from thousands of miles away — and some are still searching. But amid the tragedy, glimmers of joy and relief broke through for the lucky ones as their mothers, brothers and fathers made it to safety and finally got in touch again.

Read more...

Searching for the missing on Maui, some wait in agony to make contact. And then the phone rings.

King and Queen tell Biden they are ‘utterly horrified’ by Hawaii wildfires

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The King has written a letter to US President Joe Biden saying he and the Queen were “utterly horrified” to hear about the “catastrophic” wildfires in Hawaii.

Charles and Camilla sent their “deepest possible sympathy” to the families of people who have died in the blazes on the island of Maui.

Read more...

King and Queen ‘utterly horrified’ by Hawaii wildfires, letter to Joe Biden says

Hawaii fires become deadliest in modern US history as ‘grim’ search for victims continues

06:14 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Hawaii Governor Josh Green gave a stark warning to the world in the aftermath of the “fire hurricane” that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

The state’s drought conditions from climate change and difficulties with water management had combined with 60mph winds from Hurricane Dora which had just passed the island, Mr Green explained in an interview on MSNBC on Sunday.

This allowed three of four fires to seed quickly in the wind and then move at a mile-per-minute through the community obliterating everything in its path.

“That’s what a fire hurricane is going to look [like] in the era of global warming,” he warned, emphasising the need for action on climate change.

The death toll stands at 93 confirmed fatalities and is expected to rise further in what the governor described as a “war zone” and the “worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced”. It is already the deadliest wildfire in modern US history.

Hawaii fires deadliest in over 100 years as ‘grim’ search for victims continues

Families and faith leaders cling to hope but tackle reality of loss in aftermath of Maui fires

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

For scores of families in Hawaii still hoping to reunite with loved ones, it was not yet time to give up — even as the staggering death toll continued to grow, and even as authorities predicted that more remains would be found within the ashes left behind by a wildfire that gutted the once-bustling town of Lahaina.

But many others are already confronting a painful reality. Their loved ones did not make it out alive.

Read more...

As Maui rescue continues, families and faith leaders cling to hope but tackle reality of loss

More bodies likely to be found in ‘worst natural disaster Hawaii ever faced’

Monday 14 August 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

With the death toll from the Maui wildfires reaching 93 early on Sunday, governor Josh Green has labeled it the “worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced”.

The scale of the damage came into sharper focus on Saturday, four days after a fast-moving blaze leveled the historic resort town of Lahaina, obliterating buildings and melting cars.

Expressing shock over the scale of devastation, Mr Green said: “We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them healthcare, and then turn to rebuilding.”

The authorities suspect that the total number of fatalities, in what is already the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century, is likely to rise further in the coming days.

Namita Singh reports.

Maui wildfires ‘the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced’

Sunday 13 August 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Scale of wildfire scarring on charred Maui land captured in aerial footage

As the fires cut the phone networks, the ‘coconut wireless’ failed too

Sunday 13 August 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Earlier this week, rapidly moving wildfires knocked out phone service on Maui, preventing the usual local “coconut wireless” network of neighbours informing each other of the latest news from warning residents on the island they were in danger, according to Hawai’i Governor Josh Green.

“Normally, we would phone cal one another, and through what’s often called the ‘coconut wireless,’ where everyone speaks to everyone else in their community, we would know right away that there was danger,” he told CNN on Friday. “That communication was cut off by the destruction of essentially 1000 degree heat that was coming down the mountain.”

Josh Marcus reports.

Maui fires knocked out phones, stopping alerts from local ‘coconut wireless’ network

Watch: Cadaver dogs sift through the ruins of Lahaina as the death toll continues to rise

Sunday 13 August 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Sunday 13 August 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Lahaina residents inspect remains of homes after devastating Maui wildfire

Sunday 13 August 2023 21:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Maui fires become deadliest in modern US history as ‘grim’ search for victims continues

Sunday 13 August 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Hawaii Governor Josh Green gave a stark warning to the world in the aftermath of the “fire hurricane” that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina on the island of Maui.

The state’s drought conditions from climate change and difficulties with water management had combined with 60mph winds from Hurricane Dora which had just passed the island, Mr Green explained in an interview on MSNBC on Sunday.

This allowed three of four fires to seed quickly in the wind and then move at a mile-per-minute through the community obliterating everything in its path.

“That’s what a fire hurricane is going to look [like] in the era of global warming,” he warned, emphasising the need for action on climate change.

Read more...

Hawaii fires deadliest in over 100 years as ‘grim’ search for victims continues

Sunday 13 August 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Hawaii newlyweds detail ‘heartbreaking’ escape from Maui wildfires

As deadly wildfires swept Maui, communication failed and chaos overtook Lahaina with the flames

Sunday 13 August 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

In the hours before a wildfire engulfed the 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 outages for residents further stymied communication efforts. Radio reports were scarce, some survivors reported, even as the blaze began to consume the town. Roadblocks then forced fleeing drivers onto one narrow downtown street, creating a bottleneck that was quickly surrounded by flames on all sides. At least 67 people have been confirmed dead so far.

The silent sirens have raised questions about whether everything was done to alert the public in a state that possesses an elaborate emergency warning system for a variety of dangers including wars, volcanoes, hurricanes and wildfires.

Read more...

In deadly Maui wildfires, communication failed. Chaos overtook Lahaina along with the flames

Jason Momoa issues stern warning to holidaymakers

Sunday 13 August 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Jason Momoa has issued a stern message to holidaymakers hoping to still travel to Maui amid the fatal wildfires.

Two days after sharing his “heartbreak” about the wildfires that have devastated the Hawaiian island, Momoa shared a post stating: “Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now. DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI.”

He continued: “Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply.

“Mahalo to everyone who has donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need.”

Read more...

Jason Momoa issues stern warning to people still travelling to Maui on holiday

Voices: Maui is my home – after the wildfires, I no longer recognise the place I love

Sunday 13 August 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Rich Hill writes:

It’s raining on the North Shore of Maui this morning where I live. But the rain is too late, and in the wrong place, to help the Maui Fire Department save the historic town of Lahaina.

I’m an English expat, naturalised both to the US and to the islands of Hawaii after 17 years. Maui is my home. As a resident of Maui, married into a family born and raised on the island, the loss of Lahaina’s Old Town is devastating.

First and foremost is the loss of life. Maui is a small island; everyone knows everyone, or at least knows someone who knows everyone.

We are yet to find out who has been lost, but that will filter through in the next few days on the “coconut wireless” (the Hawaii version of the grapevine). These losses will be felt locally for at least a generation, and we are praying that no one we know personally is involved.

Read more...

Maui is my home – the wildfires have destroyed the place I love | Rich Hill

King and Queen ‘utterly horrified’ by Hawaii wildfires

Sunday 13 August 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The King has written a letter to US President Joe Biden saying he and the Queen were “utterly horrified” to hear about the “catastrophic” wildfires in Hawaii.

Charles and Camilla sent their “deepest possible sympathy” to the families of people who have died in the blazes on the island of Maui.

King and Queen ‘utterly horrified’ by Hawaii wildfires, letter to Joe Biden says

Authorities say effort to count the losses is just starting

Sunday 13 August 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Authorities warned on Saturday that the effort to find and identify the dead was still in its early stages. It’s already the deadliest US wildfire for over a century.

Crews with cadaver dogs have completed just 3% of the search area, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said.

As death toll from Maui fire reaches 89, authorities say effort to count the losses is just starting

Stevie Nicks shares moving tribute to Hawaii town turned to ashes by wildfires

Sunday 13 August 2023 17:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks has posted a lengthy tribute on Instagram to Lahaina, the Maui town worst affected by the ongoing wildfires.

Nicks wrote that she owns a house on Maui a short distance from the town, and called Lahaina “the most magical place on earth”.

She captioned the tribute: “Lahaina is not gone ~ It is just away.”

Watch: Hawaii senator thanks Biden for emergency declaration

Sunday 13 August 2023 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Lahaina residents worry town could slip into the hands of affluent outsiders when rebuilt

Sunday 13 August 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A fast-moving wildfire that incinerated much of the compact coastal settlement last week has multiplied concerns that any homes rebuilt there will be targeted at affluent outsiders seeking a tropical haven. That would turbo-charge what is already one of Hawaii’s gravest and biggest challenges: the exodus and displacement of Native Hawaiian and local-born residents who can no longer afford to live in their homeland.

Read on...

Lahaina residents worry a rebuilt Maui town could slip into the hands of affluent outsiders

Where did the Maui fires happen?

Sunday 13 August 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Maui wildfires map: Where are the Hawaii fires?

Watch: Hawaii governor praises Biden response

Sunday 13 August 2023 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Lahaina residents inspect remains of homes after devastating Maui wildfire

Sunday 13 August 2023 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Survivors witnessed a surreal landscape of flattened homes, blackened hulks of burned-out cars and ashy lots where buildings once stood as they took stock of their shattered lives in the aftermath of a fast-paced wildfire on the Hawaii island of Maui that authorities say killed at least 80 people.

Residents were faced with catastrophic destruction resulting from the wildfires that tore through parts of Maui and the town of Lahaina this week.

“We lost everything, thank god we still have each other. We were all alive and safe and counted for. It’s like we are the only things we have now because everything we had in the past is gone,” one resident, Christie Gagala, said.

Oliver Browning reports:

Lahaina residents inspect remains of homes after devastating Maui wildfire

White House ‘looking at’ Biden visit to disaster site

Sunday 13 August 2023 15:17 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden briefly responded to a shouted question from a reporter on Sunday morning concerning whether he would be visiting the site of the wildfire disaster in Maui.

As he cycled past the White House pool, Mr Biden did not stop, but replied: “We’re looking at it.”

While it is expected of presidents to visit the sites of calamities, both manmade and natural, the logistics involved are difficult given the strain on those localities impacted in the days after a disaster.

The White House tends to hold off on presidential trips in the initial aftermath to avoid getting in the way of recovery efforts. There is also the added logistical issue that Maui is a ten-hour flight from Washington, DC.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez donate $100m to relief fund

Sunday 13 August 2023 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez are pledging $100m towards relief efforts in Maui after a series of devastating wildfires.

Josh Marcus reports.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez donate $100m to Maui fire relief effort

Sunday 13 August 2023 14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Hawaii fires: Terrified residents make desperate escape in apocalyptic scenes

How did the Hawaii wildfires start?

Sunday 13 August 2023 13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ariana Baio compiled everything we know about how the Hawaii wildfires started.

How did the Hawaii wildfires start?

With phones cut ‘coconut wireless’ neighbour network couldn’t warn of dangers

Sunday 13 August 2023 13:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Earlier this week, rapidly moving wildfires knocked out phone service on Maui, preventing the usual local “coconut wireless” network of neighbours from informing each other of the latest news from warning residents on the island they were in danger, according to Hawai’i Governor Josh Green.

“Normally, we would phone call one another, and through what’s often called the ‘coconut wireless,’ where everyone speaks to everyone else in their community, we would know right away that there was danger,” he told CNN on Friday. “That communication was cut off by the destruction of essentially 1000-degree heat that was coming down the mountain.”

Josh Marcus reports from San Francisco.

Maui fires knocked out phones, stopping alerts from local ‘coconut wireless’ network

Voices: Maui is my home – after the wildfires, I no longer recognise the place I love

Sunday 13 August 2023 12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Rich Hill writes:

I’m an English expat, naturalised both to the US and to the islands of Hawaii after 17 years. Maui is my home. As a resident of Maui, married into a family born and raised on the island, the loss of Lahaina’s Old Town is devastating.

Read on...

Maui is my home – the wildfires have destroyed the place I love | Rich Hill

Some wait in agony to make contact while searching for the missing. And then the phone rings.

Sunday 13 August 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Leshia Wright heard the crackle of the fast-moving inferno closing in on her home in Lahaina and decided it was time to evacuate.

The 66-year-old grabbed her medication for a pulmonary disease and her passport and fled the subdivision in the historic Hawaii oceanside community just minutes before flames engulfed the neighborhood. Hours later, she called family members and told them she slept in her car.

Then her phone went dead...

Searching for the missing on Maui, some wait in agony to make contact. And then the phone rings.

Maui wildfires ‘the worst natural disaster Hawaii ever faced’

Sunday 13 August 2023 10:47 , Tara Cobham

With the death toll from the Maui wildfires reaching 93 early on Sunday, governor Josh Green has labeled it the “worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced”.

The scale of the damage came into sharper focus on Saturday, four days after a fast-moving blaze leveled the historic resort town of Lahaina, obliterating buildings and melting cars.

Expressing shock over the scale of devastation, Mr Green said: “We can only wait and support those who are living. Our focus now is to reunite people when we can and get them housing and get them healthcare, and then turn to rebuilding.”

Namita Singh reports:

Maui wildfires ‘the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced’

As communication failed, chaos overtook Lahaina along with the flames

Sunday 13 August 2023 10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

In the hours before a wildfire engulfed the 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 outages for residents further stymied communication efforts. Radio reports were scarce, some survivors reported, even as the blaze began to consume the town. Road blocks then forced fleeing drivers onto one narrow downtown street, creating a bottleneck that was quickly surrounded by flames on all sides.

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In deadly Maui wildfires, communication failed. Chaos overtook Lahaina along with the flames

Where in Maui are the wildfires?

Sunday 13 August 2023 10:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Maui wildfires map: Where are the Hawaii fires?

Death toll from Hawaii wildfires reaches 93

Sunday 13 August 2023 09:45 , Tara Cobham

The death toll from the devastating wildfires in Hawaii has reached 93.

Maui County announced the updated fatality figures for its island on Sunday morning.

Jason Momoa issues stern warning to holidaymakers travelling to Maui

Sunday 13 August 2023 09:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Jason Momoa has issued a stern message to holidaymakers hoping to still travel to Maui amid the fatal wildfires.

Two days after sharing his “heartbreak” about the wildfires that have devastated the Hawaiian island, Momoa shared a post stating: “Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now. DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI.”

Jacob Stolworthy reports.

Jason Momoa issues stern warning to people still travelling to Maui on holiday

Stevie Nicks shares moving tribute to Hawaii town turned to ashes by wildfires

Sunday 13 August 2023 08:15 , Adam Withnall

Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks has posted a lengthy tribute on Instagram to Lahaina, the Maui town worst-affected by the ongoing wildfires.

Nicks wrote that she owns a house on Maui a short distance from the town, and called Lahaina “the most magical place on earth”.

She captioned the tribute: “Lahaina is not gone ~ It is just away.”

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A post shared by Stevie Nicks (@stevienicks)

Sunday 13 August 2023 08:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Hawaii newlyweds detail ‘heartbreaking’ escape from Maui wildfires