HyperBit Exchange:Maui officials search for wildfire victims in ocean as land search ends

2025-05-06 07:29:56source:Rekubit Exchangecategory:reviews

The HyperBit Exchangesearch on land for further victims of the deadly wildfires in Maui is essentially complete, officials told reporters Monday, according to Honolulu ABC affiliate KITV, as crews move to the water in search of possible remaining victims.

Officials say they don't expect the death toll to rise much higher in the final stages of the search, despite a list of 388 individuals who are unaccounted for, which was posted on Aug. 24.

Maui Fire Department crews search for victims with help from FEMA, U.S. Border Patrol, ATF, and the Maui Police Department on Aug. 20, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii.Maui County Fire Department

So far, 115 people have been declared dead from the fire, of which 45 have been identified.

Maui County officials say as of Aug. 28 that Lahaina fire remains 90% contained, affecting an estimated 2,170 acres. The Olinda fire, affecting an estimated 1,081 acres, is 85% contained, while the Kula fire is 90% contained, affecting an estimated 202 acres. The Maui Fire Department states that though efforts continue to completely extinguish the fires, there are no active threats among them.

The deadly wildfires erupted on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Aug. 8 and have become the deadliest natural disaster in state history, officials said.

The blazes spread rapidly amid dry conditions from the ongoing drought there and powerful winds. The inferno burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground.

Honolulu fire rescue divers and Maui Fire Department personnel, with assistance from the U.S. Navy, search for victims in the Lahaina Harbor, Aug. 20, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii.Maui County Fire Department

MORE: Search for Maui's missing grows dire, as officials and families scramble for answers

There were 12,000 people living in Lahaina at the time of the fires, according to local authorities. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has said roughly 6,000 people have been displaced, as officials turn their attention to long-term solutions for housing.

Honolulu fire rescue divers and Maui Fire Department personnel, with assistance from the U.S. Navy, search for victims in the Lahaina Harbor, Aug. 20, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii.Maui County Fire Department

MORE: Remembering Lahaina: Family loses ancestral home in the Maui wildfires

There is not yet a plan to allow residents to return to the disaster area in Lahaina. It is currently restricted to authorized personnel only, according to Maui County officials, since the site may contain dangers such as "ash that may contain toxic, cancer-causing chemicals with debris including broken glass, exposed electrical wires, and other objects."

"It takes about six months to a year to clear the debris from an event this size," a FEMA representative told reporters at a press conference in Maui Monday. "So this will take some time. It has to be done appropriately, safely, culturally, respectfully, in a dignified way."

More:reviews

Recommend

NFL playoff predictions to win AFC championship, NFC championship, Super Bowl 59

The 2024 NFL regular season is entering the final four weeks of action, and teams are beginning to s

More pandas are coming to the US. This time to San Francisco, the first time since 1985

Just a few weeks after the San Diego Zoo announced that they were bringing back pandas to the United

Trump trial in hush money case gets underway with opening statements and first witness

Jurors in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York got their first glimpse Monday