The tranquil paradise of Maui has been gripped by perilous wildfires, which have burned thousands of acres since the blaze began in the beginning of August. Some of the fires were still partially contained; however, the Lahaina fire, the main force of the destruction, burned around two-thousand acres and was ninety-percent contained. From there, the Olinda fire in central Maui has burned around a thousand acres and the nearby Kula fire burned nearly 200 miles. The Maui Fire Department is putting an effort to use “infrared technology, water drops, and firefighters to locate and address hot spots…to fully extinguish these fires,” the release stated.
In addition to the estimated five-and-a-half billion dollars in damages, the fires also led to contaminated waters for the residents of Lahaina and Upper Kula. Residents are being asked to use only bottled water, which they can pick up at several rescue centers throughout the area. Also, around two-thousand households and businesses are experiencing power outages and there are lots of hazardous materials like asbestos, lead, ash, and pesticides roaming around in the air. There are also broken pipes and glass, exposed nails, propane tanks, and other hazardous objects around the region which can potentially be very dangerous. To counteract the dangerous toxins, officials pleaded that residents who want to return to their properties wear protective equipment and advised them to stay away from burned areas, unless otherwise said so by the authorities.
As of mid-to-late August, the fires have caused at least one hundred fifteen deaths and thirteen families have been notified of the deaths of individuals that have been identified. At least twenty-two families have yet to be notified of deaths of their family members who have recently been identified, and eight-hundred people are still missing. Additionally, around two-thousand people are seeking shelter at one of the Maui hotels in collaboration with the Red Cross.
