‘Nobody told us jack’: Anger grows as Maui wildfire official death toll rises to 93

Anger is growing over the official response to the Hawaii fires, the worst in the US in more than 100 years. The official death toll now sits at 93 but is expected to rise. See the photos.

Anger is growing over the official response to an inferno that levelled a Hawaiian town, killing at least 93 people in the deadliest wildfire to hit the US in more than 100 years.

More than 2200 structures were damaged or destroyed as the fire tore through Lahaina, according to official estimates, wreaking $5.5 billion in damage and leaving thousands homeless.

Hawaiian authorities have begun a probe into the handling of the fire, with residents saying there was no warning.

“The mountain behind us caught on fire and nobody told us jack,” said local Vilma Reed.

“You know when we found that there was a fire? When it was across the street from us.”

Reed, whose house was destroyed by the blaze, said she was depending on handouts and the kindness of strangers.

“This is my home now,” the 63-year-old said, gesturing to the car she has been sleeping in with her daughter, grandson and two cats.

Lahaina, a town of more than 12,000 and former home of the Hawaiian royal family, has been reduced to ruins, its lively hotels and restaurants turned to ashes.

A banyan tree at the centre of the community for 150 years has been scarred by the flames but still stands upright, its branches denuded and sooty trunk transformed into an awkward skeleton.

DEATH TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE

The County of Maui has raised the number of confirmed fatalities to 93, up from 89, with Hawaii Governor Josh Green warning the official death toll was bound to grow.

“It’s going to continue to rise. We want to brace people for that,” he said.

The new toll makes the blaze the deadliest in the United States since 1918, when 453 people died in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the non-profit research group the National Fire Protection Association.

The death toll surpassed 2018’s Camp Fire in California, which virtually wiped the small town of Paradise off the map and killed 86 people.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said only a small fraction of the disaster zone has been searched and only two victims have been identified because of how badly they were burned.

“The remains we’re finding are from a fire that melted metal,” he said. “We have to do rapid DNA to identify every one of these.

“When we pick up the remains … they fall apart.”

Firefighters were battling at least one other blaze in Maui on Saturday night, in the inland mountainous Upcountry.

The Pulehu/Kihei fire in the south was declared 100 per cent contained on Saturday night.

Mr Green said the fires were “the largest natural disaster Hawaii has ever experienced” and would “take an incredible amount of time to recover from”.

Burned cars and destroyed buildings in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui. Picture: AFP

But questions are mounting over whether officials warned residents fast enough.

Hawaiian congresswoman Jill Tokuda told CNN she believed authorities had not learned the lesson from previous fires fulled by hurricane winds.

“It’s not like hurricane force winds are unknown to Hawaii, or dry brush, or red flag conditions,” Ms Tokuda said when asked to address the wildfires in her home state, which were fuelled by winds associated with Hurricane Dora.

This aerial photo shows destroyed buildings and homes in the aftermath of the wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui. Picture: AFP

Referring to a 2018 hurricane that hit Hawaii, causing devastating brush fires on Maui and Oahu, Ms Tokuda added: “We saw this before in (Hurricane) Lane. We did not learn our lesson from Lane – that brush fires could erupt as a result of churning hurricane winds below us to the south. We have got to make sure that we do better.”

In a report last year, Hawaii’s emergency management agency described the risk of wildfires to human life as “low.”

Rebuilding Lahiana could take generations, a politician has said. Picture: AFP

Ms Tokuda said politicians “need to be there” to help residents as they rebuild. “It’s going to take years, generations,” she said.

The fires began on Tuesday, local time, but there was no specific warning ahead of the blaze, the BBC reported.

Local evacuations then took place, followed by an announcement that the flames were “100 per cent contained”.

By the following day, however, the flames had decimated Maui’s Lahaina town, forcing some residents to flee into the ocean.

The Pacific Disaster Centre and The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has estimated the rebuild from the Lahaina fire will cost $US5.52 billion ($8.4 billion) with 86 per cent of buildings exposed to the fire classified as residential.

It came as actor Jason Momoa told tourists to stay away from the Hawaiian island as flights and hotels should be reserved for displaced people.

The Honolulu-born star took to Instagram to call for donations and to urge tourists to cancel their planned trips

“Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now,” he wrote on Instagram. “Do not travel to Maui.”

“Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply,” he said.

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

Pacific Whale Foundation volunteers load boats with supplies to deliver to West Maui before leaving Maalaea Harbor in Maalaea, Hawaii. Picture: AFP

Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks, who has owned a house on Maui for decades, also took to Instagram to tell how her relatives managed to escape the blaze.

Nicks’ niece had been staying at the singer’s mansion on holiday with her husband and their six-year-old son when the blaze started.

Nicks’ house was miraculously untouched, she said, and she was able to get her family members back to safety in Los Angeles.

A man stands among the charred historic Banyan tree in Lahaina. Picture: AFP

“They escaped a bullet,” Nicks wrote. “My house and the surrounded area was not burned. The wind took the fire in a different direction.”

Nicks said “the Lahaina that we knew, the Lahaina that in many ways connect Fleetwood Mac and our music to the world is gone”.

The singer said she was hopeful that fellow band member Mick Fleetwood’s restaurant, which was destroyed, would one day be “rebuilt and sparkling in the middle of Front Street”.

The famously poetic star said she dreamt of a day when Maui’s historic Banyan tree, which was badly damaged, would again dance in the wind.

AUSSIE FAMILY CAUGHT UP IN BLAZE

As 1000 people remain missing after the Hawaii wildfires, an Australian family has revealed a harrowing separation and survival during the evacuation on Maui.

Nathalie Smith, along with her husband Matt and children Jacksen, 11, and Kai, six, have nothing but debris left from their Maui home, which they had only moved into three days prior to the devastating fires.

Ms Smith, who is originally from Sydney but moved to Maui six years ago, noticed the wind was picking up around their home earlier this week and some powerlines had fallen.

But it was when she saw a large fire blazing some 200 metres away that she decided to flee with her children.

Ms Smith’s sister Cassandra Smith — who lives in Melbourne — said it was a “miracle” her sister and the family survived, but have been left without a home.

The family remain separated but safe. Picture: Supplied

But it was when she saw a large fire blazing some 200m away that she decided to flee with her children.

Ms Smith’s sister Cassandra Smith — who lives in Melbourne — said it was a “miracle” her sister and the family survived, but have been left without a home.

Photos and videos taken after the catastrophe showed the Smith’s family apartment razed to the ground.

The couple have established strong roots in Hawaii, with their youngest son born on the island of Oahu, and both boys attending primary school in Maui.

Nathalie Smith and children Jacksen, 11, and Kai, 6, were separated from her husband Matt but reunited after.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Smith family, aiming to raise $5000 to help the family rebuild, as well as others affected by the disaster.

“It’s the least I can do for my sister, because they need immediate help. They have nothing, so I want to raise as much as I can for them for their immediate needs, for clothes, food, water and toys for my nephews” Ms Smith said.

“Maui has completely no service and no electricity, which is why it is so hard to get in contact with my sister and it would be the same for others.

Nathalie Smith's home destroyed in the fires. Picture: Supplied.

“My sister isn’t there on holiday, this is her home. There’s been blockages on the road because of the debris and also because of deceased bodies on the road laying there.

“So it’s not safe for just anyone to go through, only like locals that were living in the area have been able to go through and help assess everything.”

AT LEAST 80 DEAD

The death toll from the catastrophic wildfire that has decimated the Hawaiian island of Maui has risen to 80, making it the state‘s deadliest natural disaster in more than 60 years.

Hawaii governor Josh Green described it as now the biggest natural disaster in Hawaii state history.

But he warned the toll was likely to go much higher.

“In 1960 we had 61 fatalities when a large wave came through the island. This time, it’s very likely that our death totals will significantly exceed that, I’m afraid,” Mr Green said.

An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. Picture: AFP

Maui Mayor Richard T. Bisson said the current death toll does not take into consideration the people who may be found inside buildings.

“We have not yet searched in the interior of the buildings,” Mr Bissen said.

“We’re waiting for FEMA to help with that search, as they are equipped to handle the hazmat conditions of the buildings that have that have been burned.

People walking past destroyed buildings on Front St, Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. Picture: AFP

There were reports of bodies being discovered by authorities in the water around the harbour precinct of Lahaina as well as bodies in a whole row of cars, apparently trapped as they had been attempting to flee the blaze.

Residents were caught off guard, preparing initially just for high winds associated with the faraway Hurricane Dora before wind-fanned fires swept across the island.

Many described it raining embers; such was the pace and ferocity some people only had time to run into the ocean to be rescued by the US Coast Guard and leisure craft.

Vixay Phonxaylinkham, a tourist from California, said he was trapped on Lahaina’s Front Street in a rental car with his wife and children as the fires approached, forcing them to abandon the car and jump into the Pacific Ocean.

“We floated around four hours,” Phonxaylinkham said from Maui’s airport while awaiting a flight off the island, as he described how they held onto pieces of wood for flotation.

“It was a vacation that turned into a nightmare. I heard explosions everywhere, I heard screaming, and some people didn’t make it. I feel so sad.”

There have been so many tales of survival slowly now being recounted from the queues of people, lining up for flights off the island, that health authorities described as having “blank stares” and were still clearly in shock.

Three fires on Maui remained active. As authorities continued to mop up them up, they revealed 80 per cent of the historic Lahaina township was “gone” with at least 1700 homes and businesses reduced to ash.

Tiffany Kidder Winn owns one of the town’s oldest shops, Whaler’s Locker, which was among the many businesses destroyed. Picture: Instagram

Tiffany Kidder Winn’s gift store Whaler’s Locker, one of the town’s oldest shops, was among the many businesses destroyed. As she assessed the damage Thursday, she came upon a line of burnt-out vehicles some with charred bodies inside.

“It looked like they were trying to get out, but were stuck in traffic and couldn’t get off Front Street,” she said. She later spotted a body leaning against a seawall.

“I couldn’t even tell where I was because all the landmarks were gone.”

The town, the one-time capital of the kingdom of Hawaii, was Maui’s major drawcard attracting two million visitors a year.

Thousands of visitors including Australians were now in shelters awaiting a shuttle of commercial aircraft to evacuate them to Honolulu where some of the major resorts were offering virtually free emergency accommodation.

Many had lost all their belongings including passports and credit cards. About 14,000 locals and tourists had already managed to fly out to Honolulu with thousands more waiting for the shuttle of commercial flights offering seats for just US$19.

The Australian consulate in Hawaii has been assisting some travellers.

Passengers wait for delayed and cancelled flights off the island. Picture: AFP

The cause of the wildfires has yet to be determined, officials said but they said dry vegetation, strong winds, and low humidity fuelled them.

“We are still in life preservation mode. Search and rescue is still a primary concern,” said Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

“Search and rescue teams still won’t be able to reach certain areas until the fire lines are secure and access is safe,” he added.

An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina. Picture: AFP

Local May Wedelin-Lee said the wind shifted and flames approached the community so quickly, many had less than 10 minutes to get out.

“It was just panic, people were crying on the side of the road and begging,” she told CNN.

“Some people had bicycles, people ran, people had skateboards, people had cats under their arm. They had, you know, a baby in tow, just sprinting down the street.

The now homeless and jobless Ms Wedelin-Lee said she could now think about her future yet.

“Thinking about tomorrow is not even an issue right now,” she said. “It’s just finding our friends, finding our families, finding our loved ones.”

Scores of people, some who may have evacuated early, were still unaccounted for.

– with AFP

Originally published as ‘Nobody told us jack’: Anger grows as Maui wildfire official death toll rises to 93