Teams responding to Hawaii’s historic wildfires have “recovered 106 human remains,” per a Maui County statement Tuesday evening local time. The fires that razed much of western Maui and destroyed most of the island’s historic town of Lahaina are the most destructive on record in Hawaii. The Lahaina fire is the deadliest U.S. wildfire since 1918 and many people are still missing.
One week on from the blazes igniting on Maui, Oahu and the Big Island, Maui County officials said crews have completed surveys of 32% of burn areas as they work to identify the remains of those killed. The remains recovered are awaiting identification and officials have obtained 41 DNA samples from family members of missing people, according to statements posted to Maui County’s website.
The first people confirmed to have lost their lives in the fire were identified on Tuesday as Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, both from Lahaina, per a Maui County statement.
Maui County officials said the Lahaina fire that’s destroyed an estimated 2,170 acres was 85% contained as of Tuesday.
As for Maui’s other blazes, the Upcountry/Kula fire was 60% contained and the Pulehu/Kihei fire was at 100% containment, but firefighters were “staying vigilant for flare-ups.” The PuÊ»ukoliÊ»i/KaÊ»anapali fire was extinguished.
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