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In one heartbreaking announcement after another, the loss of human life
continues to climb in the wake of the devastating inferno that swept through
Maui on August 8.

The fire claimed at least 111 lives as it raged burned though the historic town
of Lahaina, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Maui officials said
Tuesday. That makes it one of the deadliest wildfires in history.

It is second only to a 1918 fire in Minnesota as the deadliest wildfire in the
United States since 1900. Even among the deadliest wildfires in world history
since 1900, on a list published by Statista, the Lahaina fire stands fifth.

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The island's death toll is expected to climb. As the grim search for victims
continues, Maui's police chief John Pelletier has pleaded with people to stay
out of the burned over areas in respect for the bodies of those who haven't yet
been recovered.





No one agency keeps track of the nation's deadliest wildfires. This unofficial
list comes from fact sheets published by the California Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, the U.S. Forest
Service and the National Weather Service.



At least thirty wildfires across the U.S. have claimed at least five lives since
1900.

 * 453 deaths – Cloquet, Minnesota, October 1918
 * More than 100 deaths so far – Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, August 2023
 * 86 deaths – Great Fire of 1910, Montana, Idaho
 * 85 deaths – Camp, California, November 2018
 * 38 deaths – Yacolt Burn, Washington, September 1902
 * 29 deaths – Griffith Park, California, October 1933
 * 25 deaths – Tunnel, Oakland Hills, California, October 1991
 * 22 deaths – Tubbs California, October 2017
 * 19 deaths – Yarnell Arizona, June 2013
 * 15 deaths – North Complex, California, August 2020
 * 15 deaths – Cedar California, October 2003
   
 * 15 deaths – Rattlesnake California, July 1953
 * 15 deaths – Blackwater Wyoming, August 1938
 * 14 deaths – South Canyon, Colorado, July 1994
 * 13 deaths – Mann Gulch, Helena Montana, August 1949
 * 12 deaths – Loop California, November 1966
 * 11 deaths – Hauser Creek California, October 1943
 * 11 deaths – Inaja California, November 1956
 * 10 deaths – Iron Alps Complex, California, August 2008

One other notable fire event in history was a series of fires across Maine in
1947. The fires claimed a total of 16 lives.

Three other deadly fires in the historic records occurred before the advent of
modern firefighting practices. In the Miramichi fire in 1825, 160 people died,
according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. In October 1871, more than
1,500 people died during the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin and an estimated 250
people died that same month in a series of fires in Michigan.


HOW MANY DEATHS IN MAUI FIRE?

The known death toll as of Thursday morning was 111 dead, but search teams had
only been through a portion of the area incinerated in the Lahaina wildfire.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has said the toll could exceed 200.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As death toll in Maui fire rises,
here's how it compares to the deadliest fires in the US




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LAHAINA, Hawaii − Maui's top emergency management official is defending the
decision not to activate Hawaii's state-of-the-art siren alert system as a
wildfire raced toward this extraordinary town, ultimately burning much of it to
the ground and killing more than 100 people.

Hawaii claims the system is the world's largest outdoor siren warning system.
The state's website includes wildfires on the list of disasters for which the
"all-hazard siren system" can be used. In the days after the fire, Gov. Josh
Green suggested the sirens may have been damaged by the fires.




But Herman Andaya, administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, said
at a briefing late Wednesday text message and voicemail systems − not sirens −
are routinely used for wildfires across Hawaii. Power and cell signal outages,
however, left many locals without any warning.



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Still, Andaya said he did not regret the decision not to activate the sirens as
the blaze swept down the mountains toward the town, adding that residents are
taught to head to higher ground when sirens blast.

“We were afraid that people would have gone mauka,” or toward the mountains,
Andaya said. “If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire.”

As death toll in Maui fire rises As death toll in Maui fire rises, here's how it
compares to the deadliest fires in the US

Developing:

∎The death toll had risen to at least 111 as of Wednesday, and authorities say
it will continue rising.



∎FEMA has almost 500 people on the ground aiding the recovery, Green said. The
Red Cross has 270 and there is a "formidable" military presence to protect
against looting or violence, he said.

∎Students were asked to wear red on the first day of school across much of
Hawaii in solidarity with Lahaina students, many of whom reported to other
schools due to damage at local buildings.



Family of 4. Beloved sister. Family of 4. Beloved sister. Uncle whose 'smile
stood out': Some of the lives lost in Maui wildfires


GOV. GREEN PLEDGES TO BAN "PREDATORY" LAND GRABS

Green doubled down on his vow to protect residents from predatory land grabs
late Wednesday, urging outsiders not to make offers for burned-out homes and
saying his attorney general is working to set up a moratorium on land
transactions. He urged developers not to approach homeowners or their families
with offers to buy, adding that it will be a "significant amount of time" before
construction can begin.



"My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized
from a land grab," Green said. "There are some legal challenges there, we are
going to push right through those and make sure people don't lose their land."

Green's pledge works for John Dimuro, a 40-year island resident who said locals
don't want big companies or wealthy people buying up land and developing it.

"The government should just say 'No, you're not allowed to develop,'" he said.
"Say no, just flat-out no."


SEARCH FOR REMAINS CONTINUES: 'THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED'

More than a week after the fire raced through the city, Maui Police Chief John
Pelletier said the painstaking search for remains is slowly continuing.
Authorities have set up a MINT - morgue identification and notification task
force − with local and federal agencies "so we can do these investigations ...
and make notifications with dignity and honor," Pelletier said.

"This is unprecedented," he said. "No one has ever seen this that is alive
today. Not this size, not this number not this volume and were not done. And so
we ask for your continued prayers. We really need them."


'MR. ALOHA', FREE-SPIRITED WOMAN AMONG VICTIMS

The stories behind the lives lost to the Maui wildfires are beginning to emerge.
Buddy Jantoc, 79, was a beloved, local musician who was known for his warmth and
generosity, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported. Nicknamed "Mr. Aloha," his family
said Jantoc had toured the world when he was younger and loved playing bass
guitar.

Carole Hartley was going to celebrate her 61st birthday on August 28. "She kept
telling me ... one more year sister, and I’m retiring," her sister Donna
remembers. She said her little sister was a free-spirited individual who had
lived in Lahaina for 36 years. Read more here.

− Thao Nguyen


Full screen


1 of 8 Photos in Gallery©Satellite image 2022 Maxar Technologies




Maxar satellite imagery taken on June 25, 2023 of the historic Lahaina area of
the Hawaiian island of Maui before the August 2023 wildfires which have engulfed
large areas of the island.
See More


Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maui official defends decision,
says blaring sirens would have sent locals into wildfire




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