Hawaii wildfire's death toll is expected to rise as the forest fires on the island continue to blaze.
Now, the deaths caused by this natural catastrophe reached over 90.
Hawaii Wildfire's Death Toll is Expected to Rise
Burned houses and buildings are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire, is seen in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 12, 2023. Hawaii's Attorney General, Anne Lopez, said August 11, she was opening a probe into the handling of devastating wildfires that killed at least 80 people in the state this week.
According to WSB-TV's latest report, the wildfires in Hawaii already took the lives of 93 individuals.
"The number of confirmed fatalities increased to 93, with two of them identified," said the County of Maui via its official Facebook post.
Officials added that the police hadn't confirmed their families' names and the pending notification.
John Pelletier, the police chief of Maui, said that their crews and cadaver dogs only searched around 3% of the area.
"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," said Pelletier.
As of writing, federal emergency workers are marking ruins of houses with a bright orange X to identify the areas that were already searched. Places where human remains are found, are marked with X that had an HR mark.
Pelletier said that the identification process they are conducting is very challenging.
He shared that whenever they pick up remains, they fall apart. The police chief added that the remains they were looking for were burned by a fire that melted metal.
Gov. Josh Green said that the wildfires that Hawaii is facing are the worst natural disaster on the island.
Read Also: Maui Wildfires: Blazes Kill at Least 6, Displaces Thousands, Overwhelms Hospitals
Hawaii Wildfire's Severity
Brook Cretton (R) and Spencer Kim (L) look at burned documents that were found while digging through the rubble of a home that was destroyed by wildfire on August 12, 2023 in Kula, Hawaii. At least 80 people were killed and thousands were displaced after a wind-driven wildfire devastated the towns of Lahaina and Kula.
CBS News reported that the wildfires in Hawaii were the deadliest natural disaster the U.S. state ever faced.
It surpassed the 1960 tsunami, which took the lives of 61 people. Experts even claim that these wildfires are more severe than the 1946 tsunami, which killed over 150 individuals on the Big Island.
Gov. Green said that the only thing they can do right now is to wait and support those living.
He added that their main focus is to reunite people when given the chance and provide them with housing and health care assistance.
Related Article: Maui Wildfire: Apple iPhone's Emergency SOS Satellite Feature Saves Family Trapped in Flames
