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Maui fire death toll, at 89, is highest in U.S. in a century

As of Saturday, at least 89 death have been recorded as a result of the wildfire that engulfed the Maui town of Lahaina, Hawaii. That toll is likely to rise as the search for victims continues. | AFP-JIJI

The New York Times

Aug 13, 2023

LAHAINA, Hawaii –

The death toll in the firestorm that decimated the Maui town of Lahaina reached 89 on Saturday, authorities said, making it the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century.

The toll seemed likely to rise in the coming days. Chief John Pelletier of the Maui County Police Department said that only 3% of areas burned Tuesday had been searched by canine teams. He urged people with family members who were missing to be swabbed for DNA. More cadaver dogs were on the way, he said.

The death toll surpassed that of the 2018 Camp Fire in California and marked the deadliest wildfire since a blaze in northeast Minnesota killed hundreds of people in 1918.

Maui fire death toll, at 89, is highest in U.S. in a century

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