Maui residents who made desperate escapes from oncoming flames, asked why Hawaii's famous emergency warning system didn't alert them as wildfires raced toward their homes. 9News
Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens were triggered before devastating fires killed at least 55 people and wiped out a historic town, officials confirmed. The blaze is already the state's deadliest natural disaster since a 1960 tsunami, which killed 61 people on the Big Island. Governor Josh Green warned the death toll will likely rise as search and rescue operations continue.
He tried to leave in his Jeep, but had to abandon the vehicle and run to the shore when cars nearby began exploding. He hid behind a seawall for hours, the wind blowing hot ash and cinders over him. "Without a doubt, it feels like a bomb was dropped on Lahaina," Green said after walking the ruins of the town Thursday morning with Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr.
Maui Fire Department Chief Brad Ventura said the fire moved so quickly from brush to neighbourhoods that it was impossible to get messages to the emergency management agencies responsible for alerts. "This may limit the population's ability to receive, understand and take expedient action during hazard events," the plan noted.
That means fire crews can't attack brush fires thoroughly before they reach roads or populated areas, Lee said. The high winds caused by Hurricane Dora made that extremely difficult, he said.Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for Lahaina residents, Bissen noted, while tourists in hotels were told to shelter in place so that emergency vehicles could get into the area.
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