Burnt cars, empty streets: Hawaii wildfire aftermath seen from above
By Bobby Caina Calvan and Giovanna Dell'Orto
For scores of families in Hawaii still hoping to reunite with loved ones, it was not yet time to give up — even as the staggering death toll continued to grow, and even as authorities predicted that more remains would be found within the ashes left behind by a wildfire that gutted the once-bustling town of Lahaina.
But many others are already confronting a painful reality.
Hawaiian officials have urged tourists to avoid travelling to Maui as many hotels prepare to house evacuees and first responders on the island where a wildfire demolished a historic town and killed dozens.Credit: AP
Their loved ones did not make it out alive.
Kika Perez Grant wasn’t sure what would become of the remains of her uncle, Franklin Trejos, who was found in a charred car, his body shielding his dog.
“We knew he was happiest out there, and so we’re allowing his best friends, who he’s been with for over 30 years out there, do whatever they think he would be happy with,” said Grant, who lives with her mother and family in Maryland.
Specific plans have yet to be decided, she said, partly because it was unclear who had possession of his remains.
So far, the remains of more than 90 people have been pulled from flattened homes, blackened cars or on streets just a few strides from their front doors – unable to outrun the smoke and flames that were just too fast and too ferocious.
On Saturday, Governor Josh Green told residents to brace themselves for more grim news.
Crews and cadaver-sniffing dogs would certainly find more of the missing within the destruction, he said.
Satellite photos show the scale of the destruction with city blocks scorched by the wide bands of fire.
He predicted the tragedy could rank as Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster ever.
It was an ominous signal of the anguish to come in the months ahead. Mourners will file into houses of worship, then sombrely gather at gravesites to say final goodbyes.
The scenes will be repeated over and over – though how many times no one yet knows.
Maui officials declined to respond to phone calls, text messages and emails requesting information about how and where the county is keeping the recovered remains.
J.P. Mayoga (right), a chef at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa and his wife Makalea Ahhee hug on their balcony at the hotel near Lahaina, Hawaii. About 200 employees are living there with their families.Credit: AP
Nor did they answer questions about whether the county has the facilities and resources to handle the rising number of fatalities.
With just one hospital and three mortuaries, it remains unclear where all those corpses will be stored and how soon they will be released to family.
Others were still waiting for news.
Lylas Kanemoto is awaiting word about the fate of her cousin Glen Yoshino.
“I’m afraid he is gone because we have not heard from him, and he would’ve found a way to contact family,” she said on Sunday.
“We are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.”
Family members will submit DNA to help identify any remains.
The family were grieving the death of four other relatives.
The remains of Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone, their daughter, Salote Takafua, and her son, Tony Takafua, were found inside a charred car.
Patrick Mayoga, whose son is a chef at the Westin Maui, in the hotel room he is sharing with his son and a number of others.Credit: AP
“At least we have closure for them, but the loss and heartbreak is unbearable for many,” Kanemoto said.
J.P. Mayoga, a cook at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Ka’anapali, is still making breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
Franklin Trejos with his golden retriever Sam. Trejos died in the Lahaina wildfires while using his body to shield Sam in the back of his car.Credit: AP
But instead of serving hotel guests, he’s been feeding the roughly 200 hotel employees and their family members who have been living there since Tuesday’s fire devastated the Lahaina community just south of the resort.
His home and that of his father were spared. But his wife, two young daughters, father and another local are all staying in a hotel room together, as it is safer than Lahaina, which is covered in toxic debris.
Maui water officials warned Lahaina and Kula residents not to drink running water, which may be contaminated even after boiling, and to take only short, lukewarm showers in well-ventilated rooms to avoid possible chemical vapour exposure.
Governor of Hawaii Josh Green, left, and Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, Jr., speak during a tour of wildfire damage.Credit: AP
“Everybody has their story, and everybody lost something. So everybody can be there for each other, and they understand what’s going on in each other’s lives,” he said of his co-workers at the hotel.
Amid Lahaina’s devastation, the Maria Lanakila Catholic Church suffered smoke damage, but the convent and school were destroyed, said the Most Reverend Clarence “Larry” Silva, the Bishop of Honolulu.
“Funerals are not yet on the horizon,” he said.
“Even in the best of times, Hawaii has the custom of having funerals anywhere from a month to six months after the death.”
Lahaina resident Riley Curran said he doubted that county officials could have done more, given the speed of the flames.
He fled his Front Street home after seeing the oncoming fire from the roof of a neighbouring building.
“It’s not that people didn’t try to do anything,” Curran said. “The fire went from zero to 100.”
AP
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