Maui Fires: 99 people dead as crews set to find 10 to 20 bodies victims a day warns Hawaii governor

The death toll of the Maui wildfires has now risen to 99, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century. The governor has warned that recovery crews combing through destroyed homes are likely to find 10 to 20 more victims a day.

Governor Josh Green spoke to CBS News where he said it could take up to 10 days to learn the full death toll. He also shared that the number of missing people on the Hawaiian island now stands at around 1,300.

Mr Green said that 25% of the area that was affected by the wildfires had now been searched for bodies, but nearly the entire town of Lahaina was destroyed by fire. The governor told CBS: “There is nothing to see except full devastation.”

The town of Lahaina is home to around 12,000 people, with the governor revealing all residents either escaped or perished in the fire. Mr Green said that crews would probably find more victims but that it would take time to identify them as “it’s hard to recognise anybody.”

Twenty trained cadaver dogs have now been deployed to the island by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). The Maui Police Chief Jeff Pelletier also said “We’ve got an area that we have to contain that is at least five square miles, and it is full of our loved ones.”

A visibly emotional Mr Pelletier said: “You have to do rapid DNA [testing] to identify them, every one of these 89 are John and Jane Doe [initially unidentified people]. None of us really understand the size of this yet.”

On Monday, Fema Administrator Deanne Criswell shared that the situation was “extremely hazardous” before adding “the dogs can only work so long because of how hot the temperatures are.”

Forensic work is now under way to identify the victims, as hundreds of people remain unaccounted for. Hundreds of Hawaiians have filled shelters after fleeing their homes from the fires, as new evacuation orders came into action yesterday.

Mr Green called the disaster “an impossible day” before adding that the wildfires will “certainly be the worst natural disaster that Hawaii ever faced. 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 health care, and then turn to rebuilding.”

An emergency shelter has been set up at Maui’s War Memorial Complex, with hundreds of victims gathered to receive food, toiletries and medical aid for a continually growing number of volunteers. Large whiteboards inside the shelter have listed what is most needed by the community, including batteries, water and power generators, whilst also announcing that no more clothing was needed.

Around 2,000 buildings are thought to have been damaged or destroyed by the fires, with a majority of these buildings being homes in the Lahaina area of Maui. The main road to the town was briefly re-opened on Saturday, before quickly being closed again, with many still queuing on the Honoapiilani highway in hopes to be allowed through.

The Kahekili Highway is open to residents, however many locals have said the alternative route is far too dangerous to take. The road is known as “the backroad” to Lahaina which is barely wide enough for one car to pass, with a steep drop-off to one side.

The Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and FEMA have estimated that the cost of rebuilding the devastation on Maui would be around $5.5bn (£4.3bn). The teams are currently coordinating the relief effort to the Hawaiian island from Washington.

Survivors have returned to Lahaina which has become a scene of utter devastation. Hawaii’s attorney general Anne Lopez has since announced plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the decision-making and policies that impacted the response to the wildfires.

Lopez said: “My Department is committed to understanding the decisions that were made before and during the wildfires and to sharing with the public the results of this review.”

The wildfires are Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster in decades, surpassing the 1960 tsunami which killed 61 people.

Many survivors of the fire said they did not hear the sirens or receive warning to evacuate, which would have given them enough time to prepare. People said they did not realise they were in danger until they saw flames or heard explosions.

Hawaii emergency management records have not indicated that warning sirens were sounded to alert people to evacuate, leaving many running for their lives. It has been reported that officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, however widespread power and mobile phone outages may have limited their impact.

Fleetwood Mac stars Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks have paid their respects to victims on the island, where they both own properties. Mick Fleetwood described the event as “catastrophic” after losing his restaurant to fire.