Hawaii’s governor has made the stark warning that they are preparing themselves to find hordes more dead bodies, following the Maui wildfires.
Scores more people could be found dead after the blazes consumed most of the town of Lahaina.
The wildfires are already the deadliest in the US in more than a century, according to the US Fire Administration, with a death toll of at least 99 so far.
Josh Green, the state’s governor, said: “We are prepared for many tragic stories. They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish.”
So far, it has been estimated that only a quarter of the burn area has been searched by rescue teams, leading authorities to fear the death toll could double over the next 10 days. Authorities are expected to begin releasing the names of the dead found already this week.
Mr Green spoke to CNN and said the picture was looking bleak for rescue teams with cadaver dogs in the coming days.
“It is a tragedy beyond tragedies,” he explained.
“We started with one dog. We are at 20. We can only move as fast as we can, but we got the right amount of workers and teams doing it.”
While Hawaii is no stranger to wildfires in recent times, Mr Green revealed he has no doubt that the fire will be considered the “largest natural disaster” they have faced, at least in recent times.
At least 99 are believed to be dead so far, while 1,500 people are still missing as the devastating disaster continues, and Maui’s Lahaina, “with a few rare exceptions, has been burned down,” the Hawaii governor told The Associated Press.
During a news conference, he explained: “We have never experienced a wildfire that affected a city like this before,” adding that climate change was putting a strain on the archipelago.
Boats in the harbour were scorched and smoke hovered over the obliterated town, which dates to the 1700s and is the biggest community on the island’s west side.
Those with missing family members have been urged to come forward to give a swab of their DNA to help in the identification process. Only three of those killed so far have been able to be identified through fingerprints because of the levels of burns.
The coastguard said it rescued 14 people, including two children, who jumped into the water to escape being burned.
But what exactly caused the Hawaii wildfires?
The devastation is behind me, but we will put our hope in front of us. pic.twitter.com/cTTUSsRTon
— Governor Josh Green (@GovJoshGreenMD) August 11, 2023
What caused the Hawaii wildfires?
Wildfires feed off of weather conditions, such as winds that drive the flames, fuel to keep the fire going like trees or vegetation, and a spark to start it all.
Before the wildfires began, much of Hawaii has been issued a red warning for fire risk due to high temperatures, low humidities, and strong winds.
While what started the initial spark is unknown, experts have revealed that the dry weather conditions have sucked the moisture out of the vegetation, making it easier for it to catch fire and the flames to spread.
The hurricane winds and dry weather conditions have added fuel to the flames, with about 14 per cent of the state suffering from severe to moderate drought and 80 per cent of Hawaii classed as abnormally dry.
Additionally, some parts of the island are covered with non-native grasses that are more flammable than native plants.
Scientists report that 90 per cent of Hawaii is receiving less rainfall than it did a century ago, with conditions being particularly dry since 2008.
Wildfires used to be uncommon in Hawaii, and were mainly ignited through volcanic eruptions or lightning strikes. But more recently, human activity, as well as global warming, has affected the archipelago, with popular city Lahaina taking the brunt in the past few years.
Talking about it in a media briefing earlier this week, the commander general of the Hawaii Army National Guard, Major General Kenneth Hara, said: “We don’t know what actually ignited the fires, but we were made aware in advance by the National Weather Service that we were in a red flag situation — so that’s dry conditions for a long time, so the fuel, the trees and everything, was dry.”
The Governor of Hawaii and many experts have shared their concerns about the impact of climate change, with wildfires becoming a more common occurrence across the globe.
The United Nations is expecting the number of extreme wildfires to increase and spread to new areas as a result of climate change and changes in how humans use land.
