By: Qinwei Wu
The deadliest U.S wildfire in a century in Lahaina, Hawaii, took place recently. Officials confirmed on Saturday, August 12, that at least 93 people have died and about 1,000 were unaccounted for.
Sefo Rosenthal, 37, lives just a few miles north of the burn area, and was spared. Unfortunately, his grandfather’s house burned to the ground, while his aunt escaped just in time as she “could barely see, driving through smoke.”
Many were not as lucky as Rosenthal’s aunt. A friend Rosenthal had known since childhood had died with her child, along with her parents. “There was nothing else to do. You can’t go left, you can’t go right, you can’t turn around. The only thing left to do is go into the water.”
The fire started on Tuesday, August 8, and officials had declared it was “100% contained,” but later that afternoon, it had spread. People are starting to get angry at the lack of warning. Hawaii had a good amount of warning sirens, but none were activated at all that Tuesday.
Cadaver dogs were sent to search for human remains. More than 2,200 structures were damaged or destroyed, and the Pacific Disaster Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimated the rebuilding cost would exceed $5.5 billion.
Firefighters are still trying to keep the fire from spreading this weekend, and more than 1,400 people were in shelters at churches and community centers. Up to 4,500 more people will need shelter, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center.
With many cell towers down, residents are forced to text message in order to save the power. According to Hawaiian Electric, the state’s power utility, outages would last several weeks.
People are continuously trying to get into Lahaina to see the damage or deliver supplies to loved ones. Miles of cars were lined up on Friday, August 11 in 86 degree heat, causing the road to be closed to civilians. However, the roads were also still lined with ambulances and police cars trying to get into Lahaina.
Officials still restrict the public from entering Lahaina, because of the toxic particles from the area.