The authorities expect the death toll to rise as rescue efforts continue
Devastating wildfires ripped through the Hawaiian Island of Maui this week, killing dozens and causing billions in damages.
With the death toll climbing to 93 as of Sunday, the blaze that practically wiped out Maui’s historic resort of Lahaina is now the deadliest US wildfire in over a century, according to the National Protection Association.
“This is the largest natural disaster we’ve ever experienced,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green said at a news conference, “It’s going to also be a natural disaster that’s going to take an incredible amount of time to recover from.”
Around 2,200 buildings have been destroyed in West Maui, with damages approaching $6 billion.
Authorities warned that it is still very early to assess the full scale of devastation as only a small percentage of the search area has been covered by the rescue teams and only two victims have been identified so far.
“We’ve got an area that we have to contain that is at least 5 square miles, and it is full of our loved ones,” Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said on Saturday, noting that the number of dead is likely to grow and “none of us really know the size of it yet.”
