Maui County police find additional remains, raising Lahaina wildfire death toll to 99
The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. The death toll for the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century has increased by one, to 99, after Maui County police found additional remains. The remains were recovered on Oct. 12 in Lahaina, police spokesperson Alana Pico said in an email Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Credit: AP/Matthew Thayer
LAHAINA, Hawaii — The death toll for the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century has increased by one, to 99, after Maui County police found additional remains.
The remains were recovered on Oct. 12 in Lahaina, police spokesperson Alana Pico said in an email Friday. An autopsy and forensic examination verified that they were not from a previously recovered individual.
So far police have identified the remains of 97 people from the Aug. 8 fire that wiped out much of Lahaina, a historic town on Maui's west coast. The remains of two people have yet to be identified. Six people are still missing.
The wildfire started in a grassy area in Lahaina's hills. Powerful winds related to a hurricane passing to Hawaii's south carried embers from house to house and hampered firefighting efforts. More than 2,000 buildings were destroyed, and some 8,000 people were forced to move to hotels and other temporary shelter.
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