2023-08-13 04:48:27
Tragedy in Hawaii: the death toll from the devastating forest fires rose to 89. (Archyde.com)
A raging fire that tore through a picturesque town on the Hawaiian island of Maui this week has claimed at least 89 lives, authorities said Saturday, making it the deadliest wildfire in the United States in 100 years.
The newly released figure exceeded the toll from a 2018 fire in Northern California that killed 85 and destroyed the town of Paradise. A century ago, in 1918, a fire devastated several rural communities in the north of this same state with a balance of hundreds of deaths and thousands of homes destroyed.
At least two more fires continue to burn on Maui, with no reported deaths to date: in the Kihei area of the island’s south, and in mountain communities known as the Upcountry. Another conflagration broke out Friday night in Kaanapali, a west Maui coastal community north of Lahaina, but firefighters were able to extinguish it.
The new death toll comes as federal emergency workers with axes and dogs trained to detect human remains moved through the ruins of the town, marking an orange X in case of an initial search and with the letters HR in case of finding human remains.
The dogs sniffed at the rubble and their occasional barks — the ones that warn of a possible corpse — echoed across the gray landscape.
The inferno that ripped through Lahaina, a centuries-old town on Maui’s west coast four days ago, destroyed homes and turned a tropical landscape an ashen gray. The state governor predicted that more bodies will be found.
The newly released figure exceeded the toll from a 2018 fire in Northern California that killed 85 and destroyed the town of Paradise. A century ago, in 1918, a fire devastated several rural communities in the north of this same state with a balance of hundreds of deaths and thousands of homes destroyed. (Archyde.com)
“It’s going to get bigger,” Gov. Josh Green declared as they toured the devastation on historic Front Street. “Without a doubt it will be the worst natural disaster Hawaii has ever faced. There is nothing left but to wait and provide support to those who survived. Our priority now is to get people together when we can and give them shelter and medical care, and then get back to rebuilding.
Those who managed to escape expressed their gratitude to be alive while mourning the death of those who were not so fortunate.
Retired Fire Captain Geoff Bogar and his friend of 35 years, Franklin Trejos, had initially stayed behind to help others in Lahaina and save Bogar’s home. But as the flames grew closer, they both knew it was time to go. They each went to their own vehicle.
When Bogar’s car wouldn’t start, he broke the window to get out of the vehicle, crawled along the ground until police found him and took him to a hospital.
Trejos did not have the same luck. When Bogar returned the next day, he found the bones of the 68-year-old man in the back seat of his vehicle, on top of the remains of his beloved pet, Sam, a 3-year-old golden retriever, whom he had attempted to protect.
Trejos, a native of Costa Rica, had lived for years with Bogar and his wife, Shannon Weber-Bogar, who he attended when she had seizures. Trejos filled their lives with love and laughter.
“God took a good man,” Weber-Bogar said.
The inferno that ripped through Lahaina, a centuries-old town on Maui’s west coast four days ago, destroyed homes and turned a tropical landscape an ashen gray. The state governor predicted that more bodies will be found. (EFE)
Bill Wyland, who lives on the island of Oahu but owns an art gallery on Lahaina’s Front Street, fled on his Harley Davidson down empty sidewalks to avoid crowded driveways as ash burned his hair on the street. nape.
In his movement in the middle of gusts of wind that he calculated to be at least 112 kilometers per hour, Wyland passed a cyclist who was pedaling for his life.
“It’s something you’d see in the Twilight Zone, a horror movie or something,” Wyland said.
Wyland realized how lucky he was when he returned to downtown Lahaina on Thursday.
“It was devastating to see all the burned vehicles. There was nothing standing, ”she pointed out.
His gallery was destroyed, as were the works of 30 artists. Emergency managers on Maui were looking for places to house people displaced from their homes. Some 4,500 people need shelter, authorities said Saturday morning via Facebook, citing figures from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center.
(AP)
Keep reading:
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