Hawaii releases detailed timeline of deadly wildfire that razed Lahaina
Reuters A fire engine arrived within five minutes of the first reports of a wildfire last August on the edge of Lahaina, the historic Hawaiian resort town, according to the most detailed timeline yet of the disaster, released on Wednesday by the Hawaii attorney general. The first emergency calls came in at 2:55pm on 8th […]
The Long Read: Pilgrims yearn to visit isolated peninsula where Catholic saints cared for Hawaii’s leprosy patients
JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, of Associated Press, reports from Kalaupapa…
Death toll from Hawaii wildfires drops to 97 – Hawaii Governor
Washington DC, USReuters The death toll from last month’s wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui has dropped to 97 and the number of people missing is now 31, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CNN in an interview on Friday. Combined Joint Task Force 50 (CJTF-50) search, rescue and recovery personnel conduct search operations of […]
Maui tourism, an economic mainstay, sparks anger amid fire ruin
Reuters The incongruous sight of tourists enjoying Maui’s tropical beaches while search-and-rescue teams trawl building ruins and waters for victims of the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century has outraged some residents. They have vented on social media, posting video of tourists enjoying holiday activities like snorkeling while the death toll in the […]
Updated: Maui officials defend decision not to sound sirens during wildfire
Updated: 12:30pmLahaina, Hawaii, USReuters Maui’s emergency management chief on Wednesday defended his agency’s decision against sounding sirens during last week’s deadly wildfire amid questions about whether doing so might have saved lives. Herman Andaya, administrator of the Maui County Emergency Management Agency, said sirens in Hawaii are used to alert people to tsunamis. Using it […]
Maui’s displaced grow restless as search for fire victims drags on
Kahului, Hawaii, USReuters A week after a ferocious wildfire ravaged the Maui resort town of Lahaina, anxious residents were still awaiting news of hundreds of missing loved ones on Tuesday, as teams with cadaver dogs conducted a painstaking block-by-block search of the ashes. Local, state and federal rescue workers have urged patience. The teams were […]
Maui search is 25 per cent complete as death toll from wildfires grows to 99
Kahului, Hawaii Reuters Search teams with cadaver dogs have combed through 25 per cent of the Lahaina disaster zone from the Maui wildfires, discovering the remains of a 99th victim on Monday, but perhaps hundreds more people were unaccounted for nearly a week after the disaster. Fueled by winds gusting up to 128 kph, an […]
Hawaii churches offer prayers for the dead and the missing after devastating Maui wildfires
Lahaina, Hawaii AP Parishioners mourned the dead and prayed for the missing Sunday in Hawaii churches as communities began looking ahead to a long recovery from last week’s wildfire that demolished a historic Maui town and killed more than 90 people. Maria Lanakila Church in Lahaina was spared from the flames that wiped out most of the surrounding community, […]
As Maui rescue continues, families and faith leaders cling to hope but tackle reality of loss
AP 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 […]
Maui wildfires death toll hits 93 amid frantic search for the missing
Kahului, Hawaii, USReuters The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 93 on Sunday as relatives of the missing frantically searched for signs their loved ones may still be alive. Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Sunday likened the burnt-out city of Lahaina to a “war zone” after the fast-moving blaze engulfed the northwest coast of […]