Maui wildfire updates: Latest on devastating Hawaii fires that killed at least 114

The fire now officially has the largest death toll from any natural disaster since Hawaii became a state, officials said.

ByABC7 Bay Area Digital Staff KGO logo

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Lahaina in Maui decimated by Hawaii fires, at least 36 dead

The search of the wildfire wreckage on the Hawaiian island of Maui is revealing a wasteland of burned out homes and obliterated communities as firefighters battle the stubborn blaz

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Survivors of deadly wildfires on Maui contended with intermittent power and unreliable cell service as they sought help rebuilding their lives. Teams of people, meanwhile, labored to find the dead and identify them.

With the death toll already at 114, a mobile morgue unit with additional coroners arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday to help with the grim task of sorting through remains. The governor warned that a new storm could complicate the search and recovery.

A week after a wildfire all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina, communication on the island was still difficult. Some people walked periodically to a seawall, where phone connections were strongest, to make calls. Flying low off the coast, a single-prop airplane used a loudspeaker to blare information about where to get water and supplies.

Thousands of people are staying in shelters, in hotel rooms and Airbnb units, or with friends. Around 2,000 homes and businesses still don't have electricity, Maui County wrote Tuesday night, after the power company restored supply to over 10,000 customers. The fire also contaminated water supplies in many areas.

Latest Numbers:

Deaths: 114
Structures destroyed: More than 2,200

Here's full ABC7 News coverage on the devastating wildfires that have impacted not just the state of Hawaii, but also those in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Hawaii wildfire map:

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San Francisco Bay Area stories:

National updates: