Three weeks after a deadly fire devastated Maui, crews have nearly finished searching for victims. But the exact death toll of the disaster is still unclear.
At least 115 people have been confirmed killed in the fire, which destroyed the historic seaside community of Lahaina, and there are still more than 100 missing persons reports filed with Maui police.
Search and rescue teams have covered 100% of the area, according to Maui’s police chief, John Pelletier, while the FBI is scouring the ocean off Lahaina.
Officials suggested responders likely have already recovered any remains that are recognizable as such, and are shifting the response to focus on removing hazardous waste and making the area safe for residents to begin returning.
“We have wrapped up almost completely the search and recovery mission and moving into the next phase,” Darryl Oliveira, the interim administrator of the Maui emergency management agency, said at a news conference.
The next phase would be hazardous waste removal conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency, he said. The burned remnants of the community are filled with poisons, including from old buildings that contain everything from asbestos to lead paint. Smoke from the fire also likely left harmful chemicals that can leak into water systems and collect within the rubble.
Urban search and rescue teams have completed their search area, but the FBI is continuing to scour 200 yards (183 meters) out along a four-mile (6.4km) stretch of coastline. No human remains have yet been found in that effort, Pelletier said. There are 110 missing persons reports filed with Maui police, and more than 50 of those remain open cases that are still actively being worked, he said.
Although the initial land search is complete, authorities may also use details from the missing person reports to go over areas again, he added.
“They say, ‘My loved one was here,’ and this may be a data point and we can continue,” Pelletier said. “In case there was a chance that something needs to be further looked at, we’ve got archeologists and we’re going to make sure that we can do that so, again, we do this the right way.”
He asked for “trust and patience” as officials continue to identify remains and go through lists of the missing.
So far, authorities have identified and notified the loved ones of 45 of those killed. They have collected DNA from 120 people to identify the dead and continue to see more samples.
EPA teams will search for and remove by hand hazardous materials like paints, pesticides and batteries.
The EPA has integrated about 25 cultural observers into its teams so the agency “proceeds with caution, reverence and respect” in the town that was the capital of the former Hawaiian kingdom and home to Hawaiian chiefs for centuries.
“We all know of the rich, long, historic and cultural significance of Lahaina,” said Steve Calanog of the EPA.
The EPA said in a news release it will take up to several months to remove household hazardous material, though the work could be finished sooner. After the debris is cleared, crews must scrape away the burn scar, typically removing at least 6in of soil, to ensure it is safe.
The mayor of Maui, Richard Bissen, said in a recorded message on Instagram that the EPA would ship the toxic debris it collects to the continental US.
