Hawaii’s chief of law said on Friday she would open an investigation into how the fires that killed at least 80 people this week have risen as criticism mounts.
The announcement and increase in the death toll came as Lahaina residents were allowed to return to the city, with most finding their homes burned to ashes.
One man, who declined to be identified, told AFP he felt abandoned.
“Where is the government? Where are they?” he said angrily.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said her office will review “decisions made this week during and after the wildfires in Maui and Hawaii.”
“My department is committed to understanding the decisions made before and during the wildfires and sharing the results of this analysis with the public.”
Late Friday, Maui County officials updated the death toll from the disaster. “The death toll is 80,” the province said, adding that 1,418 people were in emergency evacuation shelters.
Meet again
For some who managed to make it back to Lahaina, the joy was visible as they tearfully reunited with neighbors who feared they had not left alive.
“You did it!” Chyna Cho yelled, hugging Amber Langdon in the middle of the ruins. “I was trying to find you.”
For some of the lucky ones, there was joy – albeit one overshadowed by the magnitude of the tragedy that is already among the worst natural disasters to hit the state of Hawaii.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Keith Todd told AFP after finding his home intact. “I’m so grateful, but at the same time it’s all so devastating.”
Todd, 64, found that his home and a neighbor’s were intact and that the solar panels were still providing power for the refrigerator, which was still producing ice.
But even the few whose homes still looked habitable were warned they might not be safe.
“Some structures in the Lahaina water system have been destroyed by fire… These conditions may have allowed harmful contaminants, including benzene and other volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), to enter the water system,” said the Maui water department.
“As a precaution… we are advising residents not to use tap water for drinking and cooking until further notice.”
“It’s Very Painful”
Some of those who reached Lahaina wandered in silence, trying to take in the magnitude of the devastation.
Anthony La Puente said the shock of finding his house in ashes was great.
“It’s sad that we can’t find the things we grew up with or the things we remember,” he told AFP of the house where he lived for 16 years.
“All I can say is it hurts. It’s very painful emotionally,” said the 44-year-old.
La Puente searched the still-warm ashes of his house and picked up a Starbucks cup that was intact but despairing over the loss of irreplaceable things, such as mementos of his late father.
“I had packed my father’s things,” hoping to see them again one day, he said.
But that will never happen. “Now there’s nothing left.”
sniff dogs
The death toll surpassed the count when a tsunami hit Ilha Grande in 1960.
“Without a doubt there will be more deaths. We’re not sure how many there will be,” Governor Josh Green said.
Honolulu teams arrived in Maui along with search and rescue teams equipped with dead dogs, Maui County said.
Firefighters continued to put out fires and contain wildfires in Lahaina, with clear blazes for the AFP team in the city.
Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said on Thursday that as many as 1,000 people could be missing, though he stressed that doesn’t mean they’re dead.
Communications on the western part of the island remain difficult, and Pelletier said many of those whose whereabouts are unknown are simply out of reach.
The fires follow other extreme weather events in North America this summer, with record fires still burning in Canada and a major heat wave sweeping across the US Southwest.
Europe and some parts of Asia also experienced high temperatures, with major fires and floods causing extensive damage.
Source: DN
