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Death toll from Maui's wildfires rises to 111 -- with possibly 1,000 still missing -- as tensions escalate over the cause and response | CNN
The search for victims isn’t even halfway over, but the devastation has defied imagination. Crews keep scouring the charred debris of thousands of burnt homes and businesses. In some cases, searchers have found the remains of their loved ones.
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he search for victims isn’t even halfway over, but the devastation wrought by Maui’s wildfires already defies imagination as scrutiny mounts over the cause – and the officials’ response.
At least 111 people – including children – were killed in last week’s catastrophe. And the tragedy is expected to intensify, with most of the burn zone still left to search, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said Wednesday.
“No one has ever seen this that is alive today – not this size, not this number, not this volume,” Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said Wednesday. “And we’re not done.”
The number of residents still unaccounted for is “probably still over 1,000,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told CNN on Wednesday.
Search crews are expected to keep scouring the charred debris of more than 2,000 burnt homes and businesses for days, the police chief said. Some are working despite immense personal grief.
“Realize that the responders that are going out there are recovering their loved ones and members of their families,” he said.
While the cause of the fires hasn’t been determined, Hawaiian Electric – the major power company on Maui – is facing scrutiny for not shutting down power lines when high winds created dangerous fire conditions. A company that runs a sensor network on Maui says it detected major utility grid faults hours before fires started.
Hawaiian Electric said publicly in 2019 it would conduct drone surveys to identify areas vulnerable to wildfires and determine how to help keep residents and infrastructure safe.
But between 2019 and 2022, Hawaiian Electric invested less than $245,000 on wildfire-specific projects, citing regulatory filings, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Hawaiian Electric also didn’t seek state approval to raise rates to pay for safety improvements until 2022, and the rate hike has yet to be approved, the Journal reported
CNN has reached out to Hawaiian Electric for comment.
While many questions remain, here’s the latest on what we know about the historic fires:
• Fires are still raging: The most destructive blaze, the 2,170-acre Lahaina fire, was 89% contained as of Wednesday night, the County of Maui posted on Facebook.
Several other wildfires are still burning in Maui, including the 1,081-acre Olinda fire, which was 85% contained as of Wednesday, and the 202-acre Kula fire, which was 80% contained, according to Maui County.
“We are spread thin, and we are at multiple locations throughout the island,” Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura said. Still, “If something should come, we’re ready for it.”