Maui residents had little warning of approaching inferno despite 400 disaster sirens
Residents scrambling to flee deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui were failed by a lack of siren warnings, authorities have claimed.
As the death toll continues to mount, with 55 confirmed so far, Hawaii’s governor, Josh Green, said on Thursday evening that around 1,000 people were still unaccounted for, and that the state was on course for its deadliest disaster in history.
Mr Green said that those unaccounted for were not presumed dead, but because hundreds had been left without the means to communicate, their safety was unclear.
“Here’s the challenge: there’s no power, no internet, no phone, no radio. You compound some of that. So when we’re speaking to our officers, we need them to get a sat [satellite] phone,” he said.
Questions have been raised about the lack of warnings locals received on the island, despite the extensive warning system Hawaii has in place.
Hawaii has the largest integrated outdoor public safety warning system in the world, with roughly 400 sirens stationed across the island chain to alert people to threats, according to the Associated Press (AP).
However, Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, confirmed that the wildfires did not appear to have activated sirens. The county instead relied on mobile phone and media alerts.
Some people only became aware of the fire when flames and smoke were obvious.
Thomas Leonard, a 70-year-old retired postman from Lahaina, said he was not aware of the fire until he smelled smoke.
Mr Leonard said he tried to leave in his Jeep, but had to abandon it and run to the shore as cars near by began exploding. He crouched behind a sea wall for hours, the wind blowing hot ash and cinders over him.
Firefighters eventually located him and and escorted him and other survivors through the flames to safety.
However, Lahaina’s wildfire risk was well known. Maui County’s hazard mitigation plan, last updated in 2020, identified the city and other West Maui communities as having frequent wildfire ignitions, and being home to a large number of buildings at risk of severe damage from fire.
The report also noted that West Maui had the island’s highest population of people living in multi-unit housing, and contained the second-highest rate of households without a vehicle, and the highest rate of non-English speakers.
“This may limit the population’s ability to receive, understand and take expedient action during hazard events,” the plan stated.
Bobby Lee, the president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, said Maui’s firefighting efforts may have been hampered by the lack of personnel available to deploy.
He told AP a maximum of 65 firefighters were at work at any given time in Maui county, and they were responsible for fighting fires on Maui, Lanai, and Molokai Those crews are equipped with 13 fire engines and two ladder trucks, designed for on-road use. The department does not have any off-road vehicles, he said.
Mr Lee told local media in Hawaii that 14 firefighters were known to have lost their homes in the blazes.
Honolulu’s KHON2 quoted him saying “Everybody’s okay physically, we don’t know emotionally how they are. I mean, they’re not just firefighters, they’re also part of the community.”
