A downed power line sparked a brush fire near the historic community of Lāhainā on Aug. 8, 2023. Fueled by gale-force winds and an inexplicable decision by Hawaii's Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), the blaze quickly transformed into a deadly conflagration.
Despite firefighters reporting concerns about their ability to keep the flames from reaching Lāhainā (population 13,000), CWRM kept them from using the West Maui stream to refill their portable water tanks for several hours.
By then it was too late. (RELATED: Meet The Official Behind The Decision To Withhold Water As Maui Wildfires Raged)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates the total loss of 2,200 buildings in and around Lāhainā. Crews surveying the devastation have found the charred remains of at least 115 residents. Based on that toll alone, this wildfire would be the deadliest in U.S. history since the Great Hinckley Fire of 1894.
Unfortunately, officials expect the death toll to rise dramatically. After two weeks of looking, at least 388 people remain unaccounted for. (RELATED: Biden Jokes About ‘Hot Ground' Upon Arriving In Maui)
Maui Police Chief John Pelletier publicized his list of 388 missing residents to assist search-and-rescue teams, in the hope that unverified survivors would step forward.
The New York Times has more:
The list released on Thursday, Mr. Pelletier said, includes anyone for whom officials have a first and last name and contact information for the person who reported them missing.
…
“We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed,” Mr. Pelletier said. “This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”
The decision to release the names of the missing came after F.B.I. officials, along with Maui Police, the Red Cross and other agencies, examined various lists compiled by shelters, cross referencing and combining them into one tally. Along the way, they identified many survivors and removed their names.
The final toll from the fire, which began in the grassy hillsides above Lahaina and, fueled by high winds, raced through the center of town to the Pacific Ocean, will probably not be known for months. Many people died near Front Street in Lahaina, which runs along the sea wall, in their cars or in the ocean. Many were trapped in traffic trying to escape the fire, with the surrounding roads blocked by downed power lines. Some older residents died at a senior living center.
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The CWRM should be charged with MURDER for refusing was to put out this devastating fire. They are democrats and Obama owned…
Exacly! It was not only corruption and incompetence; it was downright negligent homicide! Those poor innocent people….
They hadn’t trimmed trees in 5 years.
When the fires inevitably broke out, they left the power on.
They purposely did not turn the sirens on.
They refused water to the fire department.
They put up roadblocks to keep the residents from leaving the burning city.
That doesn’t sound like negligence, to me.
Poor planning
Mismgmt
Corrupt local Govt?
Families burned to death in their cars. I believe the proper sentence for those responsible would be to burn them at the stake.