Current:Home > InvestLast victim of Maui wildfires identified months after disaster -FutureProof Finance
Last victim of Maui wildfires identified months after disaster
View
Date:2025-04-16 05:06:04
The last victim of the Maui wildfires has been identified, officials said Saturday, bringing the death toll on the Hawaiian island to 100.
The victim was identified as Lydia Coloma, 70, of Lahaina, according to the Maui Police Department. Lahaina was nearly destroyed by the fast-moving August fires, with one resident calling it "unrecognizable." Thousands of structures, most of them homes, burned.
Roughly two-thirds of the known victims who died in the fire were 60 or older, like Coloma, according to a list from Maui County.
The identification of Coloma means that there are no identified individuals who died in the fires whose families have not been located or notified. There are also no more unidentified bodies related to the fires.
The wildfires began on Aug. 8, while much of Hawaii was under a red flag warning for fire risk because of dangerously high wind conditions caused by Hurricane Dora, a powerful storm that was moving across the Pacific Ocean. Hawaiian Electric, the state's electric utility company, has acknowledged its power lines started a wildfire on Maui, but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and leaving the scene, only to have the flames rekindle nearby.
Evacuations were chaotic, and the inferno swept through Lahaina, a historic town and cultural area. CBS News previously reported that 911 calls from those fleeing the flames revealed people were unsure where to go, and that emergency services were overwhelmed by the need.
Officials on the island have been criticized for not sounding the island's evacuation sirens. Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya said in a news conference that he thought the sirens would have caused more chaos and caused people to go to parts of the island that were even more at risk. Andaya said he did not regret his decision, but has since resigned from his position. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green called Andaya's response "utterly unsatisfactory to the world."
The death toll from the fires remained unclear for weeks after the flames were brought under control. Nearly two weeks after the fires, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated that between 1,000 and 1,100 people were missing. Three weeks after the fires, the FBI updated their list to reflect that there were believed to be 385 people who were missing and 115 dead.
In September, the death toll dropped to 97, with 31 people missing. Green said the "number dropped a little bit because the Department of Defense and all of their physical anthropologists were able to help us discern better who was in cars or in houses."
Tourism has since begun to return to West Maui. Green has said that tourism would "be helping our people heal" and has encouraged travelers to visit the area. Lahaina remains off-limits to everyone except residents and business owners.
West Maui residents have said that they are struggling to balance the need to encourage tourism, which is vital to the state's economy, and deal with their own trauma from the fires. Thousands of people who lost homes also remain in hotels, and some Hawaii residents fear that they will be pushed out of Maui's already tight and expensive housing market because of rising costs.
- In:
- Hawaii Wildfires
- Maui
- Lahaina
- Wildfire
- Hawaii
Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
TwitterveryGood! (97)
Related
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- As Rooftop Solar Grows, What Should the Future of Net Metering Look Like?
- Shop the Best Last-Minute Father's Day Gift Ideas From Amazon
- In Florida, Environmental Oversight Improves Under DeSantis, But Enforcement Issues Remain
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Following Berkeley’s Natural Gas Ban, More California Cities Look to All-Electric Future
- In Setback to Industry, the Ninth Circuit Sends California Climate Liability Cases Back to State Courts
- Renewable Energy’s Booming, But Still Falling Far Short of Climate Goals
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- How a scrappy African startup could forever change the world of vaccines
Ranking
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Harris and Ocasio-Cortez Team up on a Climate ‘Equity’ Bill, Leaving Activists Hoping for Unity
- Hotels say goodbye to daily room cleanings and hello to robots as workers stay scarce
- As Rooftop Solar Grows, What Should the Future of Net Metering Look Like?
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- In this country, McDonald's will now cater your wedding
- Environmental Groups Don’t Like North Carolina’s New Energy Law, Despite Its Emission-Cutting Goals
- The Riverkeeper’s Quest to Protect the Delaware River Watershed as the Rains Fall and Sea Level Rises
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Connecticut Passed an Environmental Justice Law 12 Years Ago, but Not That Much Has Changed
With Climate Change Intensifying, Can At-Risk Minority Communities Rely on the Police to Keep Them Safe?
Harris and Ocasio-Cortez Team up on a Climate ‘Equity’ Bill, Leaving Activists Hoping for Unity
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
Minnesota and the District of Columbia Allege Climate Change Deception by Big Oil
Fox News' Sean Hannity says he knew all along Trump lost the election
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Plunge in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic