After allowing Lahaina residents to briefly return to the devastated town Friday, Maui Police abruptly shut down the main road into Lahaina just before 4 p.m. local time.
The Maui Police Department said the closure was “effective immediately,” according to a Facebook post.
CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now reported residents disregarded access rules within Lahaina, leading law enforcement to shut down entry. Local media reports showed the roadway congested, as officers redirected vehicles.
Law enforcement began allowing members of the public past road blocks to check on property only hours earlier. It remains unclear when public traffic will be restored.
The Lahaina fire is now Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster in state history. Here’s what to know
At least 67 people have died in the wildfires that torched the Hawaiian island of Maui.This officially makes the Lahaina fire Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster in state history, surpassing the 61 confirmed deaths from a tsunami in Hilo in 1960.
Crews have not yet searched the inside of most of the burned buildings, specifically structures in the hard-hit city of Lahaina, officials said. The fire in Lahaina is now 85% contained, the county said Friday.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez will spearhead a “comprehensive review” of decisions made by officials in response to the fires, her office announced. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, who authorized the review, said an organized response was hampered by power outages and damage to the phone network.
Here’s where things stand Friday:
- Search efforts: Search and rescue teams with cadaver dogs from California and Washington are in Maui to assist, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The federal government has released enough food and water to support 5,000 people for five days, the White House said. Hawaii County has created a task force to support Maui, including helping people find housing, Mayor Mitch Roth said.
- Lahaina: Residents with identification showing proof of residency, and visitors with proof of hotel reservations, were allowed back in the area on Friday. CNN affiliate KVVU showed footage of cars lining up on the only access road. The governor previously estimated that about 80% of the town, the economic hub of the region, was destroyed by the fires. The US Coast Guard said it rescued 17 people who fled into the Pacific Ocean to escape the wildfire flames that destroyed the town.
- Limited resources: A “mass influx” of people have been seeking assistance at food banks, Maui Food Bank Executive Director Richard Yust said. He said resources on the island are limited and that even an expedited ocean freight is two weeks away. People need food, water, cleaning products and hygiene products, he said. Hundreds of displaced Maui residents tell CNN they are trying to find loved ones while grappling with losing their homes.
- Emergency alerts: Maui’s warning sirens were not activated when the Lahaina fire began on Tuesday, records show, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. But other layers of the emergency warning system were triggered, including mobile phone alerts and messages on televisions and radio stations, a spokesperson said. Additionally, Hawaii officials underestimated the deadly threat of wildfires, according to a CNN review of state and local emergency planning documents.
- Communication updates: Maui County started providing updates on the aftermath of wildfires in the area via radio stations. Information will also be posted on the county’s website and social media pages. However, power and internet are still out in much of West Maui, according to a hyperlocal nonprofit organization that said it has not been able to reach people.
- Federal reaction: Vice President Kamala Harris said she and President Joe Biden are closely monitoring the ongoing crisis in Hawaii. The White House said Biden spoke with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green again on Friday. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would push to include funding for Maui disaster relief in the supplemental funding bill. Meantime, US Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency in Hawaii.
- Why the fires have been so hard to contain: Drought worsened in Hawaii over the past week, leading to fire spread, according to the US Drought Monitor released Thursday. High winds from Hurricane Dora 500 miles south of Hawaii coupled with low humidity levels produced “dangerous fire weather conditions” through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said. Invasive grasses and shrubs also become highly flammable in the dry season, scientists said.
- How to help: Help is desperately needed for people displaced by the fires, and residents CNN interviewed this week urged viewers and readers to contribute if they can. You can support relief efforts here.
Lahaina fire is now 85% contained, county says
From CNN’s Michelle Watson
The Lahaina fire that has claimed the lives of at least 67 people is now 85% contained, the County of Maui said.
Additionally, the Pulehu/Kihei fire is 80% contained and the Upcountry Maui fire is 50% contained, the county said in a Facebook post at about 3 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET).
“Firefighters continue battling flare-ups in all three fires,” the post read.
“Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Team, with expertise in human remains, are being deployed to Maui from Arizona and Nevada. Five dogs are being utilized,” it added.
Hawaii attorney general will conduct comprehensive review of official response to devastating wildfires
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez will spearhead a “comprehensive review” of decisions made by officials in response to the fast-moving wildfires that killed at least 67 people in Maui, her office announced Friday afternoon.
“My Department is committed to understanding the decisions that were made before and during the wildfires and to sharing with the public the results of this review,” Lopez said in a statement. “As we continue to support all aspects of the ongoing relief effort, now is the time to begin this process of understanding.”
Gov. Josh Green told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer earlier Friday that he had authorized a review of the state’s response, but added that an organized response was hampered by power outages and damage to the phone network.
“The telecommunications were destroyed very rapidly,” the governor said.
Maui’s warning sirens were not activated as fires spread, according to state emergency management.
More than 300 people evacuated from Maui received support at Honolulu assistance center
From Gloria Pazmino
More than 300 people, many of them tourists, that were flown out of Maui to escape the fires, have so far been connected to resources at a shelter in Honolulu.
The Honolulu Convention Center is currently operating as a support location for people evacuated from Maui, according to a Red Cross official who spoke with CNN Friday.
John Miller, who handles shelter operations in Oahu and is currently leading the Red Cross efforts at the Honolulu Convention Center, said approximately four of the 320 people that have gone through the center were Maui residents.
“When they get off the bus here and come up to the ballroom, it’s the assistance center. We sign them in and most of them are just trying to get reservations to either a hotel space or a plane back home,” Miller said of the majority-tourist crowd arriving at the center.
The convention center is providing evacuees with three meals a day and resources are available to help people find hotel and flight reservations. Representatives from Hawaiian Airlines and the Hawaii Tourism Authority are also on site.
Miller said the convention center will be open through Sunday and that they’re prepared to handle any influx of evacuees that may happen between now and Sunday.
As far as operations on Maui, Miller said the Red Cross is bringing approximately 100 staffers from the mainland to join shelter operations there.
As of Friday afternoon, there were approximately 60 people still in the convention center.
CNN witnessed a handful of families departing the convention center, many with small children and strollers in tow.
Hospice Maui staff provide medical treatment, counseling and other aid for fire survivors
From CNN’s David Williams
Staff members at Hospice Maui, a non-profit that typically provides end-of-life care to dying patients on the Maui, Lanai and Molokai, are using their skills to help survivors of Tuesday’s devastating fires.
The organization has 90 employees, including nurses and social workers, who’ve been providing medical treatment and counseling services to people at emergency shelters, Hospice Maui Advancement Director Kathleen Hogarty told CNN.
She said non-clinical workers have also been delivering much-needed medical supplies to different parts of the island and helping stranded visitors get home.
Hogarty said they evacuated their patients from the west side of the island when they got word that the area was going to be hit with 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts. Because of that, they were safe in central Maui when the fire started.
“Then we woke up on Wednesday morning and heard of the devastation we knew we had to get medical supplies out there to help our community,” Hogarty said. “We didn’t know at that point, the extent of the death toll that’s going to come out, which is going to be shocking.”
She said that their teams have heard harrowing stories from survivors, some of whom described seeing horrible things as they ran for their lives.
“If there’s any team clinical team that’s prepared for this, I would say it would be our hospice clinical team, and maybe teams that are in ERs because they deal with trauma and death on a daily basis,” Hogarty said. “So that’s not to say my team isn’t affected, but this is what they do for a living and they didn’t even ask, they just jumped [and said] ‘what can we do?’ And they’re out there doing it.”
Hogarty said there are a number of organizations on the island doing what they can to help after the fire. She said transportation and communications are big needs for them as they work to provide support.
Missing Lahaina man is a dad who loved island life, mom says
From CNN’s Jennifer Henderson
David Hoaglin, 54, of Lahaina, is missing following the Maui wildfires, his mother Myrtle Markgraf tells CNN.
Hoaglin has lived in Maui for about 17 years. He is a certified plumber and has worked in maintenance at Sunset Terrace Apartments for the last four years. David has a 4-year-old son, Markgraf said.
Markgraf said Hoaglin loves the island life. She said they spoke Monday night or Tuesday morning, but they didn’t talk much about the weather, except for him saying the weather was rough but that it is not unusual for this season.
Markgraf said they are all sending prayers out to the families for a safe recovery.
Coast Guard says it rescued 17 people who ran into ocean to escape the Lahaina wildfire
From CNN’s Andy Rose
Th US Coast Guard rescued 17 people who fled into the Pacific Ocean to escape the wildfire flames that destroyed the town of Lahaina in Maui, a top officer said Friday.
“They encountered victims that were in the water and also on the seawall,” said Capt. Aja Kirksey, the commander of Section Honolulu. There have been no additional rescues since early Wednesday, she said.
Coast Guard resources — including three cutters and two small boat crews — patrolled the harbor searching for survivors for more than 15 hours covering about 500 square miles, Kirksey said.
“Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center issued an urgent marine information broadcast to all mariners indicating what we thought would be a mass rescue, which resulted in a response by eight Good Samaritan vessels,” Kirksey said.
All of the survivors rescued by the Coast Guard were reported to be a stable condition, according to Kirksey. At least one victim was unable to be saved, the commander said, noting they were seen unresponsive by a Coast Guard helicopter.
“Our crews responded really heroically,” she said.
Health and Human Services declares public health emergency in Hawaii
From CNN Health’s Katherine Dillinger
A public health emergency has been declared for the state of Hawaii “to address the health impacts of the wildfires,” US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced.
The move gives healthcare providers and suppliers more flexibility in caring for people on Medicare and Medicaid.
The agency’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response “deployed an initial team of 13 responders to support emergency response efforts in Hawaii,” according to an HHS announcement Friday.
This includes an assessment team from the National Disaster Medical System’s Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. The team will coordinate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local authorities to determine whether additional federal public health or medical resources are needed in Hawaii.
ASPR and other HHS offices such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are also offering specialized support, the announcement said.
Verified residents and hotel guests trickle back into Lahaina area
From CNN’s Conor Powell
Hawaiian authorities began allowing access to parts of West Maui’s Lahaina area Friday despite limited power, water and cell service.
Residents with identification showing proof of residency, and visitors with proof of hotel reservations, trickled back into the hard-hit area.
Access to historic Lahaina town remains restricted.
“The area will be protected so that search crews looking for victims can continue to work in the area, and because the fire has caused unsafe conditions,” Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a radio broadcast.
Officials said Friday that the current official death toll of 67 only accounts for people found outside buildings.
“The last four days have tested our resolve and we must continue to help each other to make our way through these unprecedented times,” Bissen said.
Officials have opened six emergency shelters around Maui, with authorities collecting donations of nonperishable food, water, blankets and hygiene items.
Water, supply items and clothing are being distributed to residents from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time (4 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET) at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Kapalua, on the far northwestern tip of the island.
Authorities say the Lahaina brush fire is roughly 80% contained and the Pulehu brush fire — burning to the southeast near Kihei — is between 70 and 80% contained.
Firefighters were still not able to provide a figure for the fire in the island’s Upcountry area, which makes up the center of the island and is full of hills and ravines that have made access difficult for firefighters
Maui wildfires cause more than $1.3 billion in residential property damage, research firm estimates
From CNN’s Ramishah Maruf
The devastating Maui wildfires, which have killed dozens of people and displaced thousands more, have cost at least $1.3 billion in damage to at least 3,088 residences, according to a recent preliminary estimate from a research firm.
CoreLogic, which assesses property data, found that most property damage is in Lahaina, a tourist and economic hub where at least 9,000 people live. The company expects more than 2,808 homes will need to be reconstructed, costing $1.1 billion in reconstruction cost value.
Other areas have millions in damage as well. Pulehu has about $147 million in damage and Pukalani has about $4.2 million in damage, CoreLogic forecasts.
The fires also destroyed countless businesses on Maui, which the estimate from CoreLogic didn’t include.
The structure of the Lahaina properties, combined with the hurricane-force winds and deadly gusts, allowed the firestorm to decimate many of the area’s buildings.
“Many of the residential properties in Lahaina appear to have wood siding, and a number of them have elevated porches with a lattice underneath,” Thomas Jeffery, CoreLogicprincipal wildfire scientist, said in the findings. “Both are characteristics that make the residence very vulnerable to either ember or direct flame ignition.”
The full extent of the damage is still unknown. It will take “some time” to figure that out, CoreLogic emphasized. The firm created preliminary wildfire perimeters for its study that could change, it said.
Displaced Lahaina residents try to locate loved ones while grappling with grief over lost homes
From CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey in Maui, Hawaii
Hundreds of displaced Maui residents have taken shelter at the War Memorial Gymnasium, where the Red Cross, Maui County and other organizations are providing aid and supplies.
The fires have killed at least 67 people on Maui and left many more displaced.
Many of the residents at the War Memorial Gymnasium came from the historic town of Lahaina and fled with only the clothes on their backs. Some say they have been unable to locate their loved ones.
A grassroots effort to reconnect families has launched in front of the gymnasium, where Post-It notes containing contact information and names are pinned to a board.
Inside the shelter, scores of people have camped out on mattresses on the ground.
Kathleen Dukes, 46, was born and raised in Lahaina and said it was surreal to see her community in flames.
“I was in a state of shock. It really looks like a ghost town,” Dukes said.
Dukes had to leave her elderly mother behind when she fled the fire. She said was first able to speak to her mother on Friday. The home they share is still standing, though an aunt and sister’s home was burnt down, Dukes said.
Lynn Robison, 66, lived in the heart of Lahaina, next to the Wharf Cinema Center.
After hearing about the fire, Robison and her friends went to the shoreline near the ocean, in case they needed to jump into the water. The group spent the night sleeping in a grassy patch next to the beach.
“When we woke up in the morning, everything was destroyed around us,” Robison said, “It was like a war zone.”
Robison returned to her apartment complex to find it burned to the ground.
Nelen Cesar, 58, with her husband and three kids, told CNN they arrived at the shelter on Thursday after fleeing their home in Lahaina, where she had lived for more than 30 years.
Cesar and her family grabbed what they could as they evacuated but were distraught to lose family photographs and mementos from her childhood in the Philippines.
Her daughter returned to the location of the house and sent her pictures showing that it had been razed to the ground. Cesar said the loss is difficult to comprehend.
“I just want to see the evidence. I’m still hoping and praying it’s still there,” Cesar said.
Maui wildfire death toll rises to 67
From CNN’s Andy Rose
There are now 67 confirmed deaths from the wildfires in Hawaii, the Maui County government announced Friday afternoon.
This officially makes the Lahaina fire Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster in state history, surpassing the 61 confirmed deaths from a tsunami in Hilo in 1960.
“The Lahaina fire is not yet contained,” the government added in a statement.
Some context: Hawaii became a state in 1959, but in 1946 the islands experienced a devastating tsunami that killed 158 people.
Hawaii governor says he’s ordered a comprehensive review of the emergency response to wildfires
Hawaii’s governor has ordered a comprehensive review of the state’s actions in the hours after devastating wildfires broke out on the islands earlier this week, including why warning sirens were not used to alert residents on Maui.
“I authorized a comprehensive review this morning, to make sure that we know exactly what happened — and when,” Gov. Josh Green told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
Green said emergency officials were particularly challenged by the fact that the flames burning near Lahaina — which ultimately built into a firestorm that razed nearly all of the historic town — had died down for a period of time before suddenly reigniting, and firefighters had shifted their focus to other areas on the island.
“The telecommunications were destroyed very rapidly” at that point, Green said, meaning that the tight-knit community was unable to alert one another by phone, as they typically do when there is an emergency. “That communication was cut off,” the governor said.
Green said he isn’t going to “make any excuse for anyone,” but that multiple fires burning at once had created a “very fluid situation across the islands.”
Despite those challenges, “we will do all that we can to find out how to protect our people more going forward,” Green said.
Some context: Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said Friday that Maui’s warning sirens were not activated.
The statewide public safety warning system has about 400 sirens to alert residents to tsunamis and other natural disasters, according to an agency spokesperson, but “nobody at the state and nobody at the county attempted to activate those sirens based on our records,” he said.
Other layers of the emergency warning system were triggered, however, including mobile phone alerts and messages on televisions and radio stations.
A CNN review of state and local emergency planning documents has also revealed that Hawaii officials had underestimated the deadly threat of wildfires, as recent reports warned officials that funding and preparation for the natural disaster was insufficient.
At least 59 people killed in Hawaii wildfires, governor says
There are now 59 confirmed deaths from the devastating wildfires in Maui, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green.
The new number is up from the previous confirmed toll of 55 deaths.
All of those deaths occurred out in the open, not inside buildings, “as people were trying to escape the fire,” Green told CNN on Friday.
He said that number is expected to climb as search efforts are being conducted.
“Without a doubt, there will be more fatalities. We do not know, ultimately, how many will have occurred,” Green said.
