The death toll from Hawaii’s devastating wildfires today climbed towards 100 as officials said they had searched only three per cent of a devastated town.
The number of victims reached 96 this morning, making the fires the deadliest in the United States for more than a century.
John Pelletier, the Maui police chief, described the blaze as “a fire that melted metal”, saying it had been severe enough that each recovered body would have to be identified using DNA. He has warned that just three per cent of Lahaina’s charred ruins have been searched so far, stoking fears that the death toll will continue its sharp climb. “None of us really know the size of it yet,” he said.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green says it is the largest natural disaster the US state had faced, as questions are mounting about how the fire started, how it got so out of control, and whether the official response was sufficient.
Hollywood star Dwayne Johnson, who spent part of his childhood in Hawaii, said he was “completely heartbroken”, while pointing his fans to the Hawaii Community Foundation for relief effort donations.
In a clip on his Instagram the wrestler-turned-actor said: “Everything that I’ve seen transpire over these past couple of days, everything that continues to transpire hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute, it’s all heartbreaking.”
Hawaii native Jason Momoa has warned tourists not to travel to Maui. The actor said: “Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply.”
Oprah Winfrey, who flew into Hawaii last week and owns property on Maui, has promised she would make a “major donation” to the rebuilding effort. The billionaire and her camera crew were turned away from a shelter for survivors.
Officials said “out of respect for those who have come to seek safety and shelter at emergency shelters, our policy remains that no media are given access”. The County of Maui later clarified that Winfrey was welcomed into the facility after she instructed the camera crew to remain outside.
Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood has had his restaurant in Lahaina destroyed and described the situation as “catastrophic”.
Fleetwood, who has lived in Hawaii for decades, told Sky News he was in LA when the fires broke out but quickly returned. He said: “The whole town of Lahaina is no more. That in itself is a statement that leads you immediately to the people who lived there.”
